


In This Time, The Clock Never Stops

by animeotaku20



Series: Harry and Orion's Fluff-Filled Lives [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Background Relationships, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Harry is a massive sap, Het and Slash, M/M, More like what happens after, Mpreg, Multi, Original Character(s), Original Child Characters, Orion loves it, Romantic Fluff, So many children, Sort Of, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Time Skips, Time Travel, literally just fluff, no real plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24130762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animeotaku20/pseuds/animeotaku20
Summary: Harry loves his new life, especially how calm it is compared to before he time travelled. More or less. Marrying Orion Black - and gaining a whole host of bizarre family members - probably wasn't the best way to attain a life of peace, but he wouldn't give any of them up for the world. His family was everything to him.
Relationships: Orion Black/Harry Potter
Series: Harry and Orion's Fluff-Filled Lives [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741138
Comments: 54
Kudos: 969
Collections: The best of Harry Potter (Sandy Collection)





	1. What an interesting surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Hello awesome people! This fic is a sequel to 'In Another Time' which I wrote literally years ago - God, I feel old - so check that one out first if you want to read this.
> 
> First up, this fic contains both slash and het, relationships with age differences (which are entirely consensual) and various instances of mpreg. If any of this offends you in any way, I respectfully ask that you press the back and go find something better suited to your tastes. I understand that these topics aren't for everyone.
> 
> That said, welcome to several chapters of pure fluff! It's literally a combination of familial relationships, romance, and fluff. That's it. If you're looking for a fic with an actual plot, then this isn't it. My inspiration demanded I expand the universe for the old oneshot, and I had a lot of fun diving into the world of mindless fluff.
> 
> Also, this fic is entirely complete. I'm uploading the whole thing in one so I don't have to worry about an update schedule. If anyone asks for a continuation, it won't happen. Just getting that out of the way now.
> 
> I've mentioned all sorts of characters. Like, loads. I have in fact created a whole folder on my deviantart account for this fic. (My name is anime-otaku20) I know this fic doesn't exactly have a plot, but I would suggest that you refrain from looking at the family trees until you've finished reading because I've added future relationships and children that slowly appear throughout the chapters. I haven't separated them because I've already done the whole story.
> 
> The last chapter of this fic will also be a quick little guide to Orion and Harry's family. Only a few basics.
> 
> Right, sorry for all this info. I really do go on, don't I?
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy the story. Let me know what you think :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

Harry blinked his eyes and yawned, guessing it was still ridiculously early seeing as it was pitch-black in his bedroom. He turned his head to the side and squinted through the darkness, just about making out his husband’s sleeping face, the usual severe set to his expression absent in sleep. The man was currently wrapped around Harry like an oversized octopus, though he wasn’t really complaining; November in London wasn’t exactly warm.

He gently extricated himself from the limbs around his body and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and yawning again. He hated having his bladder betray him in the middle of the night. Harry blindly sought out his slippers before settling them on his feet and standing up, turning around to gaze down at the still-sleeping figure. Knowing his luck, Harry was wearing some ridiculously sappy look on his face right about now.

Then again, Orion Black was an extraordinarily wonderful man, and not a day went by that Harry didn’t feel the luckiest man on the planet.

Completely unprecedented time travel shenanigans aside, he still considered his life to be a series of rather bizarre and unbelievable events. After his mutual – and very relieving – breakup with Ginny, Harry had come to realise that finding a partner, let alone a future spouse, in the midst of the ‘Man-Who-Conquered’ bullshit was about as difficult trying to find any redeeming qualities in one Severus Snape. In other words, near impossible. (Also, why on _earth_ was he given the most absurd nicknames by the magical population? It was madness.)

Tripping backwards into another era where every part of his ill-deserved fame was entirely absent was rather therapeutic for Harry. Yes, he did earn a few speculative looks from history buffs whenever they heard the name ‘Peverell’, but being married to the Heir to the House of Black presented quite a nice shield against the more obsessive theorists.

 _Nobody_ wanted to piss off the Blacks.

Harry slowly left his bedroom and closed the door, padding down the hallway to the family bathroom. After doing his business and washing up, he made his way to the twins’ room, poking his head inside to check on his youngest sons. Rigel and Alnitak were in their own beds tonight, each curled up under the covers and sleeping peacefully with their respective Kneazles. (Harry had thanked every deity he knew of when the boys had chosen the tiny felines to be their pets, knowing he’d avoided the potential tears when it came to starting Hogwarts and having to leave any other animals behind.)

He walked in silently and ran his hands through Al’s long hair, gazing down at the face that was the spitting image of Orion. Harry had no doubt the boys would grow into the Black looks more and more as they aged, except they had Harry’s bright green eyes to go with them. He walked over to Ri and did the same routine as before, brushing a few stray strands away from his son’s scrunched up nose before he left the room.

The man stopped outside the bedroom and looked further up the hallway, heart clenching as it usually did nowadays whenever he saw Siri and Reg’s rooms. It was still strange to think that his own godfather was now his own child, his _oldest_ child, but Harry honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

Siri was a surprisingly sweet boy, making Harry feel vaguely murderous at the thought of Walburga Black and what she must have put him and Reg through to make them so messed up in Harry’s past life. _Oh well, at least the hag’s dead now._ (And Harry was forever remaining oblivious as to the truth of Walburga’s demise, for no other reason than plausible deniability. Being around the Blacks was bound to leave an impression, one way or another.)

It was definitely a melancholy feeling looking at the name plaques on the doors, though. His oldest two were currently at Hogwarts at the moment, and it was beyond strange thinking that, after this year, Siri only had one year left at Hogwarts before he graduated. Reg was taking his OWLs in the summer, and Ri and Al were going to start school two years from the coming September.

It was going so quickly. Harry still remembered that day when he gave birth, and being confined to bed rest for weeks afterwards, the twins simply lying there as tiny little creatures unable to do anything themselves, Siri and Reg still small with chubby cheeks and wide eyes … _Everything’s flown past already._

Harry had been in the past for ten years now. Just a decade. One single decade, and he’d gained a title and accompanying family manor, a husband to love, four sons to cherish, and a wide and extended family that were probably clinically insane, but hilarious to be around.

While he might miss some of the people from his old life, he wouldn’t deny that he clung to his relative anonymity with a certain ferocity, infinitely relieved not to have to deal with expectations and idiots and supposed ‘duties’ of his, with next to nobody giving a crap about what ‘Harry’ wanted or needed.

He'd always wanted a normal life, though he certainly hadn’t expected to find normality through accidental time travel.

As he made his way back towards the master bedroom, Harry heard a clatter from downstairs somewhere and immediately drew his wand. The wards on Grimmauld Place were extensive to say the least, so the idea that someone had managed to get past the legendary paranoia of the Black family and inside their home was almost ludicrous.

 _Almost_ , but not entirely.

Harry had experienced far too much in his twenty-nine years of life to discard even the most unlikely of scenarios, so he just gripped the warm handle of his faithful holly wand and tiptoed down the stairs, ready to hex the intruder into oblivion before calling Kreacher to warn Orion. If Harry had to deal with the danger so Orion could get their sons to safety, he was all for it. Even if his husband might actually kill him for putting himself in the line of fire.

Harry padded silently towards the kitchen, the low-hanging lamps lit for some reason as the rhythmic noise of what sounded like a mug scraped across the table as it was lifted, then placed back down again as the stranger did … whatever they were doing. _Did someone break into our house just to drink tea?_

He took a deep breath and poked his head around the doorway, only to slump his shoulders and roll his eyes, wand arm dangling by his side. Harry looked at the odd situation before him and mentally conceded to himself that yes, someone _did_ break into their home just to drink tea. A certain idiot who, despite having been raised around the knowledge that The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black probably guarded their homes more than Azkaban or Hogwarts, and who knew full well that the family was full of dangerous individuals who wouldn’t take too nicely to a midnight home invasion, had gone straight ahead and acted like the moron he liked to play far too often.

It was Alphard.

Harry sighed heavily as he took a step forward. “Alphard,” he began, somewhat enjoying the man jumping a foot in the air like the proverbial chocolate frog, “what are you doing here? It's … one o’clock in the morning,” he said after locating the small hanging clock hidden behind one of the low beams.

The man who resembled his husband a great deal, just with a thinner face and slightly wider eyes to go with his lithe physique, actually _flinched_ and looked away from Harry. The time traveller was immediately wide awake, his green eyes raking over every inch of Alphard looking for some sort of issue that would explain the sudden personality transplant. Alphard was the most laid-back member of the House of Black, but that didn’t mean he was soft in any way, shape or form. He could be sly and manipulative, and Harry knew for a fact that the man gleefully took advantage of not being in the line of succession to have as many different lovers as possible.

(He’d tried to shield Siri and Reg from Alphard’s exploits for as long as possible, but the two of them now called him ‘Uncle Hedge-Creeper’ in private. Harry was torn between being entertained or mortified.)

Harry put his wand back in its holster and sat down opposite Alphard, slowly brewing two cups of tea while the older man got his thoughts together. It was clear he was reticent to talk about whatever issue he was having, and Harry pressuring him to speak wouldn’t help in any way. The younger man knew that Alphard saw him as an equal, however, so he wouldn’t patronise Harry in any discussion they might have. It was relieving, especially because Orion’s cousin was a whole twenty years older than Harry, so Alphard treating him like a child could have been an issue between them if the older man hadn’t been so mature, despite his cavalier attitude.

He was stirring a little sugar into his cup when he saw Alphard shift in his seat. Harry took a sip of tea and placed his mug back on the table, leaning back into his chair and meeting Alphard’s silver eyes head on. It was a little unnerving to see so much indecision in this particular man.

“Alphard,” he began carefully, “do you need me to go and get Orion?”

The man shook his head slowly. “No. No … it’s not –” he cut off and raked his fingers through his hair. Alphard sighed heavily and looked Harry in the eye.

“I fucked up. Big time.”

“What happened?” Harry questioned gently, trying not to set off the obviously temperamental man. _It can’t be that bad, can it?_

(Famous last words, Potter.)

“I’m pregnant.”

Harry just blinked rapidly, trying to compute the ideas of ‘pregnancy’ and ‘Alphard’ with one another. It wasn’t working. Alphard Black was the very definition of ‘playboy’, and the concept of him actually having a child, let alone carrying them himself, was almost laughable to conceive.

Except the man wasn’t laughing or grinning, and the worried set to his face and tense shoulders didn’t paint a picture of any scenario where those words could have been misheard or misconstrued. Alphard was almost curled into himself, looking lost and anxious at the situation he was in, and Harry could admit he felt for him. Harry himself had only decided to have children with Orion after careful and thought-out conversations between the two of them. Not to mention they’d been _married_ at that point in time; he didn’t think Alphard was even in a relationship at the moment.

Harry hummed quietly. “Well, fuck.”

Alphard snorted briefly before seeing the slight amusement in Harry’s eyes, after which he broke down laughing, cackling into the table surface from where he was bent double at the waist. Harry chuckled at the sight of the tension leaving the other man’s frame, the laughter doing Alphard a world of good. Harry _was_ a Healer, after all; a lack of stress coupled with a more positive mindset did wonders for the human body.

“Alphard? What’s going on?”

Harry turned to see his husband blinking sleep out of his eyes, and took Orion’s moment of tiredness to appreciate the sight of the fitted t-shirt Orion was wearing for sleepwear. The material highlighted the fact that being in your late forties was no excuse for not being in shape, and Harry lost himself for a second remembering just how _well_ he was acquainted with the body underneath.

(Hey, he was a married man, and if he wanted to eye up his husband, that was well within his rights.)

It seemed that Alphard was in no state to respond, and for some reason just started laughing even harder at his cousin’s appearance. All the stress had morphed to hysterical laughter, apparently. As long as it didn’t turn into sobbing, Harry was quite content to leave him be for the moment.

He sighed and smirked up at Orion. “It seems your cousin has some … _unusual_ news for us.

“Congratulations, Orion. Alphard’s pregnant with your future niece or nephew.”

Silver eyes widened slightly at Harry’s words, looking into bright green before flitting to his insane cousin and back before he blinked.

Orion cleared his throat. “Right. That's … fuck.”

Harry snorted and Alphard started choking into the expensive mahogany at Orion’s eloquence.

_Long live the House of Black._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I've written so much HP fanfiction that I've half-convinced myself that Alphard Black was a central character at some point lol


	2. The many facets of marriage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

“It’s a great day for a shotgun wedding,” Harry muttered under his breath.

Orion snorted quietly from his place next to Harry, lips twitching with mirth as the druid completed the ceremony and Alphard kissed his new husband.

It was truly a ridiculous set of circumstances; after Alphard had informed Harry and Orion of his unplanned pregnancy, the three of them had set out to Black Manor the following day to inform Lord Black before the wily man saw the family tapestry and figured things out himself.

Arcturus had _not_ been happy to say the least, but he’d decided not to do anything as long as Alphard immediately got married to the man whose child he was carrying. Seeing as the two of them had been engaged in a fling-cum-relationship for a few months already, but had kept quiet due to the age gap, there was only a slight chance that things would go horrifically wrong in their marriage. A mere half-week later, and Alphard was now married.

To Gideon Prewett.

_Alphard’s such a dog_. Gideon was the same age as Harry in this time, meaning he was a whole two decades younger than the Black he’d impregnated. (And Harry was resolutely ignoring the fact that Orion was just two years shy of being twenty years older than him. Denial was a wondrous thing.) It was an odd couple, to be frank, but Harry had high hopes for them after seeing how they kept gazing at each other with what appeared to be genuine love already. And lust, though he didn’t really want to address _that_ within hearing distance of the twins.

The ceremony was a small one, what with next to no prior warning for any potential guests, therefore not everyone from either side of the family could be there. Harry and Orion were there with Ri and Al, of course, and the two were being extraordinarily well-behaved despite having to stand still for hours. Harry would bake cookies for them later as a reward. (And for Orion as well, even though his husband outright denied having any semblance of a sweet tooth. _What an adorable liar._ )

Also standing for the Blacks were Alphard’s brother Cygnus, Arcturus and Melania, Pollux, Cassiopeia, and Dorea and Charlus Potter. Marius would have come if it weren’t for the fact that his entire household had come down with the flu, so his absence was understandable. Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa were currently on holiday in Australia, and Alphard hadn’t wanted them to cut their break short so they were still on the other side of the world.

Lucretia and Ignatius were essentially representing both sides of the wedding, though the other Prewetts currently present were also supporting Gideon. His parents Silvius and Beatrix, his brother Fabian (of course), as well as his younger sister Molly. Bilius was unfortunately in Saint Mungo’s thanks to what seemed to be spell damage from nothing more than idiocy combined with a lack of common sense. In other words, it was his own fault.

Molly looked like she’d swallowed a lemon at the moment, though Arthur looked cheery as ever as he cradled baby Percy in his arms, with a nearly-six Bill and nearly-four Charlie at his side. (Though as cute as the family was, Harry was still baffled how Arthur and Molly had managed to have the exact same children with the exact same names, at least so far. Magic _had_ to be involved in some way, there was no other explanation.)

“So,” Harry began slowly, watching Alphard and Gideon exchange _looks_ that provided plenty of evidence as to how Alphard had managed to get pregnant so quickly, “what’s going to happen now? You know, what with the … _situation_?”

Not many people here even knew the reason as to why the unusual couple had gotten married so quickly, so he was trying not to alert anyone of the dubious legitimacy of what would be a child in just over eight months. As far as Harry knew, the only ones in the know were him, Orion, Arcturus, Pollux, and Fabian. Not even Silvius Prewett seemed to know he was about to be a grandfather through Gideon, but in Gideon’s defence, his father looked to be a right bastard. Something about Ignatius being Lord Prewett instead of him, despite Ignatius being older. If Harry was right, Silvius had also been gloating at having four children and three grandchildren when Ignatius and Lucretia hadn’t managed to conceive a single child in over four decades.

(If there weren’t other people – and young ears – around, Harry might be tempted to describe him with a particularly nasty four-letter word beginning with ‘c’, and he wouldn’t exactly be wrong, either.)

“Well, as you well know, it’s actually rather common for … things to come to fruition later than expected in these circumstances,” Orion murmured quietly. “If everyone who’s aware keeps silent, things shouldn’t ever come to light. And Alphard’s already requested you as his personal Healer, so there won’t be anyone else around to interfere.”

Harry smiled, relieved at that news. Alphard was a great person and didn’t deserve to have this situation affect him negatively in any way. He was going to be a father and get to raise a child; he shouldn’t have to put up with strangers demeaning him for daring to conceive outside of marriage. While Harry definitely preferred the idea of only having children after being married, he also believed it was a purely personal choice that shouldn’t reflect poorly on either the child or its parents. As long as having the child was a deliberate choice – seeing as there were any number of effective magical contraceptive methods – there wasn’t a problem in Harry’s eyes. (Unfortunately for Alphard, he seemed to have forgotten these preventative measures in favour of thinking with his cock. _Idiot_.)

The smaller man noticed the newly-wedded couple across the room and chuckled under his breath, grinning slightly as Orion raised a brow.

“Considering Alphard and Gideon are sneaking off by themselves like a couple of horny teenagers, I don’t think we’ll have any problems in the future.”

Orion turned around, and upon witnessing his cousin slip away like a sex-deprived maniac, shook his head in exasperation and sighed. “That man has no shame.”

Harry shifted closer and leaned against his husband’s side, peering up at him from beneath his lashes and smiled coyly. The interest in those silver eyes was rather gratifying to witness.

“He might have no shame, but perhaps he has the right idea.”

Orion’s eyes darkened with lust and he squeezed Harry’s waist gently, not willing to do anything else with so many witnesses. Not that Harry was complaining; public displays of affection weren’t really his thing, either.

He watched as his husband caught Lucretia’s eye, the woman looking curious for a few seconds before her eyes flickered between the two of them, an impish smirk emerging on her aristocratic face. The woman looked over at the twins and back, before nodding at them, wicked mirth in her silver eyes. Lucretia was a demon, no doubt about it.

“Ri, Al,” Harry called out softly.

The two boys turned as one, green eyes lighting up at the sight of their parents as they walked over. Ri currently had a plate of finger sandwiches while Al was munching on a chocolate cupcake, his cheeks puffed up like a hamster. It was a miracle neither of them had gotten food down their new dark-green robes, but Harry knew the night was still young. _Thank God for cleaning charms._

He took a moment to smooth their long hair down their backs, the two of them having copied Harry and Orion in growing their hair out. Currently, both boys had their hair tied back and out the way with a couple of thin, gold straps – Orion was being silly about him corrupting them towards Gryffindor, of course he wasn’t! – which really emphasised the Black facial structure. Seeing as they were already 4’6” despite being just eight, their face wasn’t the only thing they’d gotten from Orion.

“Dad? Papa? What’s wrong?”

The warmth Harry felt at hearing his children – _his_ children – address him like that would never get old. Before spontaneously ending up in the sixties, he hadn’t thought that he’d ever have the chance to build a family the way he wanted, and now he had everything he’d ever wanted and more. He should probably give thanks at the grave of whichever mad Black had possessed those things which sent him back in time. Maybe. (Accidentally raising the spirit of an insane person wasn’t exactly on his bucket list.)

“Nothing’s wrong, we were just wondering if you wanted to spend the night with your aunt Lucretia and Ignatius. Do you?” he asked.

And it _was_ a question, because as much as he desired some alone time with his husband, Harry wasn’t about to put his sex life above the happiness of his children. They might need to learn some independence in their lives, but Harry didn’t want to raise children who didn’t understand parental love or how he and Orion would always be there for them.

Ri brightened at the idea, practically bouncing on his feet, while Al asked, “Can Bill come, too? And Charlie? They're younger than us, but they’re really nice! And Charlie really likes dragons!”

Orion smiled gently, ruffling Al’s hair slightly. “That’s not up to me, Al. You’ll have to ask Lucretia and Ignatius if they don’t mind, as well as check with Arthur and Molly Weasley. Do you think you two can handle that?”

In unison, the two boys adopted calm and controlled expressions, tempering their enthusiasm as they turned to confer with one another, before marching off together towards their aunt. Harry watched them walk with all the surety of a duellist before a match and mourned for the possibility of Gryffindor twins. _There's no way; Orion’s infected them too badly._

Harry kept an eye on his youngest two as they got an indulgent nod from Lucretia before they made their way over to the Weasley contingent. He wondered if they could sense some tension from Molly, though thankfully the overbearing woman wasn’t off with the two of them. Though that could be the fact that both he and Orion were staring directly at the redhead as she spoke to the children, almost as if daring her to upset their sons. (While _he_ might not have a fearsome reputation in their society, only a complete and utter buffoon would dare upset a child of Orion Black.)

Seeing Arthur happily nod at the four boys while Molly huffed but obviously capitulated, Harry felt a smile emerge across his face at the cute scene. No child of his was ever going to be terrified of getting to know others, would never sit in the dark and question why they were always so lonely. His sons would grow up happy and confident, even with some people mistrustful of their Black heritage. (And if Molly looked at his children like that one more time, he might just hex the interfering woman.)

Ri and Al spun to face their aunt, and started walking through the room with Bill and Charlie following them like a couple of baby ducklings. Judging from the various grins and indulgent smiles around the room, he wasn’t the only one to think it was ridiculously cute.

The boys stopped briefly to say goodbye and hug Harry and Orion, before the small party of four bounded over to Lucretia with enthusiasm that was heightened by the woman’s maniacal grin. _Oh well, not my problem anymore._

Harry gently took Orion’s hand and held it between their bodies, the folds of robes disguising the chaste intimacy. He slowly rubbed his thumb up and down the back of his husband’s hand, very much enjoying the heated look in those silver eyes he was so drawn to.

“I do believe, Husband, that we were making plans of a more personal nature. Now your sister’s taking care of the twins …” Harry trailed off musingly, the silence all the more suggestive with no young children around to divert attention.

Orion stepped closer and withdrew his hand, curling it around Harry’s waist instead and leading him from the hall and into the quieter corridor. As they made their way through the expansive manor towards their rooms, Harry was hyper aware of the warm hand casually stroking his side, the heat making him somewhat lightheaded from the anticipation. There was a reason they never started anything without knowing it could be finished.

Once inside their suite, the doors locked and warded, Harry was grabbed by his husband with no warning, and a few seconds later found himself straddling Orion where he was sat on their expensive sofa. There were two strong arms wrapped around his waist, holding him almost possessively as silver eyes undressed him while they roved over his body from head to toe.

Harry shivered in delight, thanking everything he could think of that the two of them had an entire night to themselves with no distractions. Before his thoughts could get much further, soft lips brushed over his once, just to get his attention. He leaned forward for more, moaning when the kiss bypassed ‘gentle’ and went straight to ‘breathless’.

He didn’t know how long the two of them remained attached at the face, hands wandering and stroking and teasing, but when Orion pulled back Harry was panting heavily, grateful for air but wanting so much more. He had no doubt his face was bright red, and he could feel his hair flowing freely down his back. His shirt was also gone, somewhere on the floor if he had to hazard a guess, and his trousers were undone, giving him some figurative breathing room.

Thankfully, Orion was in much the same state, and Harry leaned forward to press gentle kisses to the toned chest, every so often nosing the soft body hair that was very much a turn-on for Harry. His fingers were playing with Orion’s black curls, fingernails raking lightly over his scalp, and he couldn’t help but smirk at the thrilling groan he elicited. Knowing he had the power to reduce his husband to _this_ was beyond satisfying.

Orion lifted Harry’s head and bent down to kiss his neck, every so often sucking harshly or running his teeth over the sensitive skin. Harry could feel electricity dancing across his body, all the way from his bruised neck to his groin. He tried not to, but he couldn’t help but shift in Orion’s lap, trying to release some of the pressure he could feel. Though considering how beautifully Orion was cursing and whispering filthy promises, Harry was quite happy to remain like this for a while.

His husband slowly pulled back so his lips were resting against the junction of Harry’s neck and shoulder, his arms wound around Harry’s torso so that Orion could run his hands up and down the smaller man’s back.

“Do you remember that conversation we had last year, during Yule? After we saw the girls?”

Harry blinked through the heady arousal and thought back to the previous year, immediately remembering which conversation his husband was talking about. It wasn’t difficult, not with how it’d been playing on his mind recently.

He leaned back and looked Orion in the eye. “Is this because of Alphard, or –”

Orion kissed him suddenly, breaking off Harry’s words before pulling back with a smirk. “I’ve been thinking about this since before my cousin became an even bigger idiot than I thought possible.

“So, do you want another child?”

Harry rolled his eyes but grinned, knowing himself well enough to admit that yes, he _would_ like another child to raise. There would be enough of an age gap between the boys and a new baby, so things wouldn’t exactly be difficult to handle. All in all, it wasn’t that hard of a decision.

Harry pressed a brief, chaste kiss to Orion’s lips. “Sure. However, let me make sure I’m entirely healthy before you try and impregnate me. I'd like to avoid enforced bed rest if it’s at all possible this time.”

Silver eyes softened and Orion leaned his head against Harry’s, noses brushing gently. Harry felt warm in a way that had nothing to do with his lingering arousal. _Though speaking of arousal …_

“Then again, that doesn’t exactly stop us from having sex _now_ , does it?”

Large hands tightened around his body, and Harry grinned as he pressed himself against the burning body beneath him. Orion's hands slipped down to his waistband and Harry raised himself up on his knees, blood pumping as his trousers were pulled down.

This was going to be a long night, and he couldn’t _wait_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry is thirsty. So is Orion. Enough said, really.


	3. Teens are their own species

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

“Are you _sure_ this is alright?”

“I agree. This is … _unusual_ , to say the least.”

“Oh, for the love of – Reg, help me out.”

“Our parents wouldn’t dare to hex someone in public where there are witnesses.”

“That’s not what I meant by ‘help’!”

Harry felt his lips twitch at the nearby conversation, through perhaps it was better described as a badly-written comedy act. Orion just rolled his eyes and shook his head, making Harry have to breathe deeply so as to not break down in hysterics. He really did love his children, insane though they were.

He turned to see the group of ten teenagers round the corner, Siri and Reg spotting them first, their silver eyes lighting up.

“Father! Père!”

They didn’t run anymore – they were much too dignified to do so – but the boys hastened over and hugged Harry briefly but firmly, before greeting Orion in much the same way. The two of them stepped back and Harry looked up at them, mourning the fact that he was always going to be the shortest in the family. Sirius was 5’7” at the moment, so he only had two inches to grow before he stopped, but Regulus had already reached 5’10”, meaning it was likely he’d get to 6’ before he stopped growing. Clearly both brothers had had their height tempered by Walburga’s genetics, though thankfully every other part of them was pure Orion.

It was unusual to look at these two now, seeing them in a way that had never happened in Harry’s previous time. They were close for once, visibly happy together as opposed to at odds with each other thanks to Walburga playing them against one another. Siri wasn’t planning on running away any time soon – it wouldn’t surprise Harry if the brat tried to sneak his future spouse into their home and just never leave – nor was Reg withdrawing into dubious social circles and preparing to join a psychopath because he didn’t know what else to do.

His sons – and they _were_ his sons, blood or not – were happy and healthy, and Harry was content with that.

“Uncle Orion, Uncle Harry! How are you doing?”

Harry turned from his children towards the new voice, catching the exasperation in his husband’s eyes as he did. Not that he could blame him or anything; _this_ teenager was a pain in the arse to deal with, no questions asked.

Stood before them was James Potter in all his mischievous and cocky glory, that irritating smirk on his face, his hazel eyes glinting behind his glasses with promises of untold chaos. Harry could only imagine how he would have turned out if this idiot had raised him. Though luckily enough, this time around Dorea had been given plenty of advice from Orion and Harry about not spoiling him, so James hadn’t turned out half the git he was last time around. He was still a pain, but he wasn’t a bully, and he’d actually learned the meaning of the word ‘moderation’. As far as Harry was concerned, it was a miracle of astronomical odds.

The girl next to James just sighed and swatted his arm, berating him for being … well, himself. It seemed that her main issue was that James was being a prat in front of two members of the Wizengamot however, not that she had too much of a problem with his default personality.

Lily Evans was certainly calmer than any memories he’d ever seen of her, and apparently the teenage versions of his parents were already dating instead of only getting together at seventeen after James stopped being so much of a twat.

(They might have once been his parents, but Harry was hardly blind to their faults.)

Also among the mismatched group of teens were two other girls, Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes. Dorcas was the second cousin to Sirius and Regulus through Melania, while Marlene was a childhood friend of Dorcas and a friend of Lily’s. (Marlene was also going to be something _more_ if his gut feeling was right, but he wasn’t going to torment the teen in question about their emotions.)

Dorcas had black hair tied back in a simple bun, narrow brown eyes, and a no-nonsense expression that looked somewhat out of place on the diminutive 5’1” girl. Marlene had long golden curls down to her hips, with pale blue eyes and peach skin that made Harry think of a Barbie doll. Though considering the sly jab about James’ temperament with a snide reference to thinking with the head in his trousers, the girl was anything _but_ a doll. Harry quite liked her.

Of course, there was Remus, the responsible one as always, torn between hissing at his friends to get them to shut up, or sending apologetic and vaguely pleading looks in Harry and Orion’s direction. Harry didn’t have the heart to tell him this was normal for them.

Remus looked a lot healthier than he ever had, though that might have had something to do with Harry essentially stealing the recipe for a half-complete Lycanthropy cure from the future, finishing it himself, and then sending a free course of treatment to the Lupin family anonymously. With a subtle and obscure compulsion spell on it make Lyall and Hope Lupin actually give the cure to their son.

(There was a reason why the Peverell accounts were suddenly raking in a lot of gold.)

It was the final trio of teens that made Harry anxious, even if he could admit that it was unfair to blame the innocent teenage versions for things their adult selves had done. Then again, just because you knew something logically, didn’t mean it was any easier to convince your emotions otherwise.

Stood to the side, were Barty Crouch Jr., Peter Pettigrew, and Severus Prince.

Snape – not that he was called that any more, but Harry couldn’t be bothered to change the form of address in his mind – had been adopted by his grandfather after the man discovered just what sort of man his daughter had married (after an anonymous letter from Harry). Eileen Prince had also gone to live with the House of Prince again, however she was completely cut from the line of succession for her transgressions. Snape was also out, because Lord Prince was an old-school pure-blood supremacist who didn’t want _any_ half-bloods near his titles, grandchildren or not.

Thanks to the ‘gracious’ man, Eileen had been married off to Rabastan Lestrange, now Prince, for the sake of birthing a new generation of Princes. Funnily enough, the younger Lestrange wasn’t nearly as horrid as Harry had been expecting, and he’d taken everything of his new life in stride. Then again, seeing as he would inherit the title of Lord Prince in place of Eileen, he didn’t have much to complain about.

This Snape appeared to be much kinder than the other version, though Harry was still having a hard time differentiating between the two. After all that the older Snape had done to him, it wasn’t going to be simple to treat the younger one decently.

Pettigrew, to Harry’s complete astonishment, didn’t even _closely_ resemble the human-shaped rat he had before. He was still slightly heavier than his peers, but his hair was cropped close to his head, his back straight and with more confidence than Harry could have anticipated. Peter Pettigrew didn’t look around at others as if he were following them, he just stood there quietly chatting to Snape.

 _How the bloody hell did_ that _happen?_

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind, did Dorcas Meadowes reach out and whack Pettigrew round the head, loudly berating him with her hands on her hips as he stood there and nodded along with her, a sheepish expression on his face. _Oh, so she beat some sense into him. Literally. Good girl._

Lastly was Barty Crouch the younger, and he looked a _far_ sight better than his insane future self. As bizarre as it sounded though, Harry probably found it easier to deal with Barty than the other two. Older Barty had been so clearly insane that it was obvious he _couldn’t_ be held responsible for his own actions; therefore, Harry had never interacted with a Barty Crouch in complete control of his faculties. A sane Barty had never wronged him, so it was hard to judge him when even Harry’s younger self had been concerned about the man’s mental state.

“Okay everyone, quiet down,” Orion called out, his deep voice catching everyone’s attention. “If you’ve all got your things ready, then make your way to the fireplaces and go straight through. The destination is ‘Grimmauld Place: Reception Room'. Nobody other than my sons or James will be able to leave that room until I arrive, so please don’t try to unless you wish to spend the remainder of the Yule period in Saint Mungo’s,” he finished in a flat voice.

Everyone other than the three aforementioned teens paled at the words of the intimidating Heir Black, making Harry roll his eyes at his arsehole of a husband. A gorgeous arsehole, but an arsehole nonetheless.

“Orion! Don’t scare them!” He turned to the teens with a gentle smile that calmed them down, making him pity them _just_ a little. “Don’t worry, if anything does go wrong, I’ve been a qualified Healer for close to a decade now.” Harry beamed at them brightly. “I’ll be here to prevent massive injury, disfigurement or death.”

Then again, there was a reason why he and Orion worked so well together.

Siri was blinking back tears of laughter as he bit down on his lip, while Reg was frozen with wide eyes, his lips pressed so hard together they were white from the strain of not laughing. James had turned his head away from the situation, shaking shoulders the only indication of his amusement at the situation.

Everyone else was staring at Harry’s caring smile, visibly torn over whether or not they should take his words as a joke or not. Considering not even Siri or Reg were laughing at the moment, everyone else seemed to be seriously questioning their life choices, looking between Orion and Harry as if they were faced with two sides of Satan at the same time.

He wondered what it said about him that he was quite flattered.

His oldest eventually took pity on his friends and chuckled lightly. “I’m sure they understand being careful, Père,” said Siri with a small grin. He turned to the others and beckoned to them. “Come on, any slower and you’ll miss out on Kreacher’s lamb roast.”

The promise of food was an acceptable bribe for possible danger, and everyone perked up at the idea of a hearty meal.

Orion grinned and added, “Harry’s also made chocolate cheesecake for pudding.”

His sons and James suddenly looked ravenous and Harry shook his head. James grinned at the others. “Uncle Harry’s an _amazing_ baker, and his cheesecake is enough to get you to ignore any semblance of a diet, no matter _how_ much willpower you have.”

“It’s not that good,” Harry rebuffed.

“Yes, it is,” echoed Orion, Siri, Reg and James as one. Harry just huffed and started making his way towards the fireplaces, taking note of Reg falling into step beside him. Harry wrapped an arm around Reg, immensely grateful his sons were still willing to accept affection from him. He didn’t think he’d be able to stand it if they brushed him off. Regulus pushed further into Harry’s side, and Harry smiled up at his son.

“So, how’s this year been so far?”

Reg hummed. “The professors are getting worked up with OWLs, but they’re not very good at dealing with the resulting stressed students. Instead of talking things through, explaining how you can retake exams at the Ministry or how to manage stress and a busy work schedule, they just tell us to deal with it and go to the Hospital Wing for potions if things become too much.”

Harry frowned heavily. _That school really needs sorting out_. “Well, if you need any help, you know you can come to me or Orion, or even anyone else in the family, if you prefer.”

“I know,” Reg replied with a smile. “Is anyone else coming over in the next few days? I remember Dad saying something to that effect.”

Harry had to reign in the smirk that threatened to overtake his face. He supposed it was part of being a parent, wanting to tease your children about their love lives. He'd do the same with Reg, if it weren’t _painfully_ obvious that Reg was completely out of his depth when it came to his romantic feelings. The boy had no clue what to do or how to act around the person he liked, so Harry wouldn’t make his son feel even more embarrassed or confused than he likely already did, even if the sight of the teen blushing was so bloody cute to witness. Harry wasn’t going to let anybody else interfere, either. This was Reg’s life, and if wanted help, he’d ask for it. He had a feeling Siri would be a useful ally in this situation, as long as he didn’t go all ‘protective big brother’ and piss off Reg in the process.

“As a matter of fact, all of the Potter’s are already back at the house.”

“All of them?” asked a visibly startled Reg.

Harry nodded. “ _All_ of them.”

“Oh. Erm, okay.”

Reg seemed to have lost all composure and was sporting a bright red flush across his pale face, gnawing at his lip as he became lost in thought. It was as sad as it was endearing.

“Reg,” he murmured quietly, “you don’t have to interact with them much, you know? And everyone else will be there for dinner, so you won’t be trapped and alone at all. If you want, I can just tell everyone you’ve fallen ill and you can hide in your room until they leave. It's your choice.”

His son flushed even more and looked like he wanted to hunch his shoulders. “Is it that obvious?” he whispered.

“Orion and I noticed a while ago, though I'm not sure about the older Potters. I'm fairly certain that Drew’s figured it out, as well as Siri.” He squeezed Reg’s waist and looked him straight in eye. “Regulus. You're my son, and neither I nor Orion are going to do or say _anything_ that makes you uncomfortable. Sirius cares far too much about you to upset you on purpose, and as for the Potters, I am _not_ going to let them make trouble for you. Okay?”

Reg was still red in the face, but the tension bleeding out of his shoulders was a welcome sight to the time traveller. Reg wasn’t even sixteen yet; he didn’t need to get bogged down with all of this when he still had plenty of time to figure things out.

“Thanks, Papa.”

Hearing the childish name that he only got in private nowadays made him smile delightedly, his face no doubt radiating bliss at the love from his son. He was a lucky, _lucky_ man.

“No problem, Reg.”

The boy wrapped his arms around Harry and hugged him tightly, squeezing harder when Harry hugged back with equal enthusiasm. He pulled back and smiled at Harry, nodded at Orion, then went back to his friends and directed them through the floo with a relaxed grin on his face.

“Is everything good now?” Orion asked quietly.

“Hmm, more or less.” Harry looked up at his husband with a resolute expression. “I won’t be happy if anyone mocks him, though. He's struggling enough with this as it is; if people start taking the piss out of him, they’ll really cut him deep.” He paused and pouted. “And _I’m_ bound by my shitty Healer oaths, so I won’t even be able to carry out some good, old-fashioned revenge.”

Orion smirked dangerously. “I knew there was a reason I loved you.”

Harry flushed at the silent promises of that expression. “Oh, shut up.”

He still smiled and followed his taller husband through the floo, wondering how long it would take for Orion to make good on his promise to get him pregnant as soon as possible.

 _Then again …_ The heat in those molten eyes made him mourn that they were hosting so many people that day.

 _If he gets his way, it_ definitely _won’t be long._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry will cut anyone who hurts his children, and Orion think this is an incredibly attractive trait. They're made for each other.
> 
> I've also messed with the canonical Sorting, because why not? I've listed them by House, including another canon character who isn't here:
> 
> Gryffindor: James and Marlene; Hufflepuff: Peter, Dorcas, and Mary Macdonald; Ravenclaw: Lily and Remus; Slytherin: Sirius, Regulus, Severus, and Barty


	4. A parent's love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

Harry looked around the sitting room and shook his head at the insanity.

Six adults, twelve teenagers, and two young children were all packed into the room, making Harry grateful that the House of Black was as ostentatious as it was and always thought that excess was better. _I dread to think of what it would be like otherwise._

Ri and Al were currently using Siri as a perch and were talking a mile a minute about their pets to Marlene, the blonde girl looking genuinely cheerful as she conversed with them as regular people as opposed to ignorant children. _Merlin, that girl really is racking up points with us, isn’t she?_

Snape and Barty were cross-legged on the floor and playing chess, though also apparently making eyes at each other and giving Harry a migraine. And a semi-permanent twitch. The idea of those two together was baffling, but he wouldn’t deny that he’d prefer it for them to be with one another and not go near his children. (Just because he’d resolved to treat them fairly, didn’t mean he was that nice a person. His family were just the exception there.)

Lily, Dorcas and Peter were currently making use of some of the books from the Black library for help with their Potions homework, Remus not far from them with his nose buried in some of Harry’s Potions journals. Considering he was known as the man to cure Lycanthropy, Harry wasn’t shocked at the brunette’s enthusiasm.

James was sat on the floor conversing with his cousin Andrew, Fleamont and Euphemia’s second son. Andrew was actually the youngest of two twins, which was definitely a change from Harry’s original time where his great-uncle had only sired one son, but he supposed you couldn’t exactly plan for twins. Looking over at his own, he grinned to himself. You _really_ couldn’t plan.

The two Potter couples, Charlus and Dorea, and Fleamont and Euphemia, were currently in deep discussion with Orion, his wily husband more than likely trying to convince them to join in on Harry’s Potions business. It would honestly help, what with Harry doing practically everything himself at the moment, which wouldn’t be feasible when he eventually got pregnant again. And Fleamont Potter was a literal _genius_ , while Charlus was no slouch, either. Harry huffed and looked around the room again, knowing Orion would probably get what he wanted sooner or later anyway. (As long as Dorea kept quiet, anyway. That was one _fearsome_ witch.)

_Ah, there they are_. His second son, the one he’d been worrying about all day, was tucked away in the corner next to the window, talking quietly with the young man he’d developed feelings for over a year ago.

Alistair Potter was Andrew’s older twin, and Fleamont’s oldest child. He, like his brother, sported the customary bird’s nest that was the Potter hair, black tufts pointing in every direction. He had blue-green eyes he’d inherited from Euphemia, a pale complexion and a few, scarce freckles dusted across his nose and the tops of his cheeks. He was a very nice young man, about to graduate Hogwarts this summer, and was planning to study for a Potions Mastery like Fleamont.

His son’s possible paramour was exceedingly nice and gentle – the complete opposite of James – but unfortunately for Reg, he was entirely oblivious to romantic undertones. Not that Reg had been sending deliberate signals or anything, but you’d have to be blind not to notice Reg’s constant blush or the way he fidgeted whenever Alistair was in the vicinity. (Harry had to wonder – somewhat self-depreciatingly – if being so oblivious was an inherent part of being a Potter.)

Earlier in the day, Harry had noticed Dorcas smirk upon watching Reg and open her mouth, before Siri’s eyes had hardened, and Harry’s oldest had quietly but fervently ripped into the opinionated girl before she could upset Reg. She'd looked beyond shocked that Siri had been so verbally brutal, but she’d huffed and kept quiet all the same. Probably out of some ingrained fear of the House of Black.

(As far as Harry was concerned, if she didn’t shut up, he’d Obliviate her. Because that wasn’t actually a healing spell, therefore his oaths would pay absolutely no attention as long as it wasn’t his intention to do her harm. _The beauty of loopholes.)_

The time traveller watched as Alistair pointed out the snow, and by the way the two of them were standing up, his cute child had offered to show the older boy the garden. The two teens slipped out and Harry smiled, sipping his water carefully before excusing himself. He wasn’t going to interfere or anything, but Reg had long since proven himself to be an extraordinarily sensitive boy, and it turned Harry’s stomach imagining the Reg of before having to live with Walburga Black. Being around her on a daily basis, watching Siri drift then run away, being pressured to join a psychotic megalomaniac …

The more Harry thought about it, the more he wondered (and worried) about Reg’s eagerness to sacrifice himself in that cave.

He turned towards the bathroom before disillusioning himself and doubling back, following the pair towards the small garden. He got to the door and peered outside, watching the two boys stand side-by-side in the evening cold. It was actively snowing now, light flurries that drifted down to the ground before dispersing. The flakes were also making themselves at home in the boys’ hair, Reg especially looking handsome with snowflakes dusting his hair and red cheeks from the cold. (Though that could be parental bias.)

Harry leaned against the door, silently casting to warm himself as he watched over the two. Alistair might be a good kid, but that didn’t mean that he lacked the potential to accidentally hurt Reg, either through words or actions. And Harry _really_ didn’t want to explain to Fleamont Potter why his son had been viciously cursed after taking a mere walk in the house.

Reg turned to look at Alistair and perhaps grin; Harry couldn’t quite see his son’s face from this angle. However, he _could_ see the dumbstruck expression on Alistair’s face as he gazed down at Reg as if seeing him for the first time. Blue eyes were roving over the younger boy with awe, as if Alistair couldn’t quite believe what was right in front of him. If Harry had to be more specific, it almost looked as if the Potter was feeling _blessed_. (Which he should be, Reg was a gift in any sense of the word.)

Alistair didn’t seem to be able to say or do anything in the face of whatever earth-shattering revelation he was experiencing, and Harry had to fight a smile at Reg cocking his head to the side in confusion. The older boy still looked baffled, though judging by the red flush on his face and how he was swallowing reflexively, he had just in fact – finally – realised that Regulus Black was a _very_ attractive boy, and one that he appreciated as more than friends.

_Come on, Ali! Man up and kiss him, damn it! I’m not going to have my precious son heartbroken because of an oblivious Neanderthal like – oh, there we go. Took your time, didn’t you?_

Harry studied the pair in front of him, Alistair bent over with his lips pressed against Reg’s, arms wound around his waist firmly. Considering Reg was enthusiastically responding with his arms around Alistair’s neck, there was nothing to worry about here.

He turned and made his way back towards the sitting room, dispelling his spells as he walked. He might want to make sure his children were alright, but he didn’t need to see any of _that_ from Reg. Besides, it was private, and his son deserved some alone time with his new paramour. He trusted Reg not to jump so far ahead too quickly, so there was no real need to stay out there.

The green-eyed man stopped in the hallway and gazed up at the photograph on the wall, taken when Al and Ri were just six months old. They'd finally sat up and behaved for the camera, sitting on Harry and Orion’s laps quietly – for once. A newly-nine Siri was on Orion’s other side, while the nearly eight-year-old Reg was snuggled into Harry.

He felt … sad. Melancholic. It was irrational, he was fully aware of it, but it was somewhat bittersweet to see his children grow up so quickly. They were taking exams, preparing for the future, finding love … They were becoming adults, and in some way, it left Harry floundering, wondering if they were going to stop needing him. It was a stupid thought, one he logically knew wasn’t the case considering how often Siri and Reg kept in touch and generally disproved the idea, but it wouldn’t go away.

Harry was proud of them, but it was still a little depressing.

Two arms slipped around his waist and pulled him back into a taller body, a strong chin resting on his head as he studied the memory. Harry could smell the usual, subtle cologne and breathed in deeply, closing his eyes and leaning back against the strong chest.

“What’s wrong?” asked Orion lowly, nosing at Harry’s hair as he did.

“Nothing. I’m just … being stupid,” Harry admitted with a self-depreciating smile.

“Doubtful. ‘Stupid’ has never been something I’ve attributed to you. Unwilfully ignorant, perhaps, and definitely headstrong, but not stupid. Never stupid. You're one of the smartest people I know,” Orion murmured into Harry’s ear.

He felt his heart thud at his husband’s reassuring words and sighed, knowing that it still sounded silly to admit out loud.

“It’s just that … our sons are growing up. They're practically adults now, even if I don’t want to admit it, and it feels kind of sad knowing they’ll be building their own lives soon.”

Orion’s arms tightened. “That’s definitely not stupid, not even unusual. It _is_ sad, bittersweet when I think about it. They’ve been children for what seems like forever, and now they’re finding people to explore romance with themselves.

“However,” the taller man carried on, his tone taking on a teasing edge, “if you think Siri and Reg are going to leave any time soon, you’ve got another thing coming. I’m fairly certain that Siri is slowly renovating the room down the hall, all the while hoping that neither of us will notice he’s turning it into another bedroom which could eventually be used for his own bloody child. And don’t get me started on Reg; he tried to blast James’ testicles off the other day because the idiot joked that Reg was far too attached to you. I mean, he was essentially proving James right, but his spell repertoire is rather impressive, I suppose.”

Harry turned in Orion’s arms to press his face against the warm chest, laughing quietly at the madness his two oldest children tended to display on a daily basis. He supposed there truly wasn’t any real reason to worry about their sons, but he’d long since realised that his emotions didn’t really care what he was ‘supposed’ to do.

They were his children, and he would always worry about them.

He hummed quietly, peering up Orion with a small smile playing across his face. “Do you think Al and Ri will be like this?”

Orion snorted. “Are you joking? They'll be _worse_ , because they’ll have grown up with Siri and Reg as role-models, so they’ll already know how to be a pain, _and_ how to improve on it just to drive us even more crazy.”

Harry laughed out loud at his husband’s exasperation, the expression on his face shouting that he was done with everything, no questions asked. He got his mirth under control and asked, “But what about if we have a new baby? They’ll have had Siri, Reg, Ri _and_ Al to model themselves after.”

His husband had a flat look on his face and looked Harry dead in the eye, shaking his head back and forth slowly enough that Harry got the full brunt of Orion’s disappointment. If anything, that just made the entire situation funnier and Harry bent his head, trying to stifle the mad giggles threatening to erupt.

“Erm … is everything okay?”

Harry lifted his head, wiping a few tears as he did to see Reg and Alistair stood in front of them, arm-in-arm. The older boy was torn between shooting concerned looks at him and Orion or standing there and gazing at Reg as if he were besotted and smitten. Harry very much approved of the latter; Alistair was beyond lucky to have someone like Reg fall for him.

He smiled at the new couple gently, casually linking fingers with Orion as he did. “We’re fine, just remembering some entertaining family anecdotes is all. And imagining Al and Ri when they’re your age.

“So, what are you two up to now?”

Alistair blushed a little, but seeing as Harry wasn’t teasing them, he carried on. “Regulus was going to give me a proper tour of the house, as long as that’s acceptable to you, Heir Black.”

“That’s perfectly fine, Alistair. Besides, any rooms that are inaccessible are inaccessible at all times, so any open doors are yours to peruse, except anyone else’s bedroom, obviously,” Orion answered calmly, looking entirely accepting of the fact that his son was probably going to find a dark corner to go and snog his new boyfriend in.

“Of course, Heir Black.” The boy turned to go with Reg before stopping and spinning on the spot. “I’m just going to use the facilities briefly. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Once Alistair was out of earshot, Harry turned to Reg expectantly, eagerly hoping for some good news. “Well?”

Reg blushed but smiled widely at his parents. “Alistair has expressed interest and requested an exclusive relationship between the two of us. I accepted.”

Harry softened and walked over to hug his son, feeling extraordinarily happy for the teenager who’d looked so out of sorts earlier that day. “I’m happy for you, truly. The two of you make a lovely couple.”

The poor boy blushed even more at the last compliment but also preened somewhat, proving that he truly _was_ related to Sirius Black, more than just superficially.

(Back in the sitting room, the unfortunate Sirius sneezed into poor Marlene’s face and got a smack round the head for his troubles.)

“He’s a good match for you; the two of you complement each other well.”

Orion’s praise reignited the blush a little, though Reg looked overjoyed to get such genuine approval from his more reserved father. The boy slowly moved over to Orion and embraced him, melting into him as the tall man held him close.

Harry almost wished he could take a photo of this moment; it was essentially proving Orion right from before. Reg might be growing up, but he certainly wasn’t leaving his parents any time soon. Harry was sure Siri would have jumped in and tried to squeeze everyone to death if the imp had been here.

Reg pulled back and smiled shyly at both his parents, reaffirming Harry’s belief that having a successful career paled in comparison to raising a child that you could be proud of.

Alistair stepped back into the hallway and grinned at Reg, carefully taking his arm and nodding at Orion and Harry with obvious respect. And probable gratitude for not murdering him despite his romantic inclinations towards their son. (Which, of _course_ they wouldn’t. Unless Reg got hurt or asked for it himself; then it would be open season.)

The married couple fondly watched the young lovers wander off excitedly before deciding to return to everyone else. Upon walking in, Harry noted Marlene looking more than a bit miffed at his oldest son, said son apparently begging for forgiveness, while every other teen was watching them as if they were a television drama.

Ri and Al had fallen asleep on the smaller sofa, bless them, so Harry conjured a blanket to cover them and cast a few silencing spells around the two of them. He and Orion would put them to bed after everyone else cleared out.

The older Potters were deep in discussion, but upon catching Harry’s eye, Dorea smirked knowingly and Harry just shook his head, bemused at the meaningful expression on her face. He was _not g_ oing to indulge the mad woman’s insane gossiping, thank you very much. He had more self-preservation than _that_.

“I do believe,” Orion announced clearly, making sure that everyone heard him, “that it’s getting late. My youngest two have already had enough, it seems, and I won’t deny that I’m not far behind myself.”

He waved off the sounds of laughter and carried on. “Sirius, all of your friends have rooms on the same corridor as yours, so you can get them settled.” Orion turned to the Potters and enquired, “Are you also remaining here for the night?”

Charlus shook his head and stood up, hazel eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled broadly. “Thanks for the offer, but I do believe the four of us are going to take advantage of the lack of children to get into the good alcohol. These brats can’t appreciate what a good drink is, unfortunately.”

While the teenagers looked to be varying degrees of affronted, Harry couldn’t help but chuckle in agreement, remembering the post-Quidditch parties in Gryffindor Tower. At that age, people would go for anything as long as it was vaguely alcoholic, with no regard for taste or quality. It was rather sad in hindsight.

With that, everyone started bidding farewell to one another and making their way in different direction. The Potter contingent walked towards the floo, all the while eagerly discussing the assortment of vintage wines the family had been steadily collecting for centuries. _Bloody alcoholics._

The school-age party followed a grinning Siri out the room and upstairs, but not before he darted to Orion then Harry for a couple of brief but firm hugs from his parents. The loud youths were all still awake and excited, but Harry wasn’t too bothered seeing as Siri knew how to activate the silencing wards on the bedrooms.

Harry turned to pick up one of the twins, trusting Orion to get the other, before the sound of running footsteps echoed through the hallway outside. _Not_ from the direction of their guests. He immediately drew his wand and stepped in front of his underage sons, quickly grabbing his Invisibility Cloak from his inside pocket and tossing it over them.

He wasn’t too fussed about himself, but their safety was _non-negotiable_.

The green-eyed man lifted his wand as the steps got closer, fingers tensing around the wood in preparation. Preparation which turned out to be pointless, again – _first Alphard, now this, one day this place really will give me a heart attack_ – as the person rounded the corner and proved themselves to be a member of their family.

Orion blinked. “Lucretia? What’s wrong?”

The woman just stared at them with wide, silver eyes, eyes that were tearing up slightly before she launched herself at Harry and clung to him desperately. Her emotional state combined with her unusually strong arms meant that he wasn’t breathing all that well, though he was honestly more concerned about the well-being of his sister-in-law at this particular moment.

Harry started rubbing circles on her back, trying to get her to calm down. “Lucretia? Can you tell me what’s happening? Something I can help with?”

Lucretia pulled back abruptly and stared at Harry before a massive smile erupted across her face, simple joy radiating from every inch of her despite the tears.

“Thank you, Harry. Thank you _so_ much!”

Harry blinked bewilderedly. “Lucretia? What are you thanking me for?”

“The potion you gave me about six months ago,” she explained giddily. “You know the one. It worked!”

He froze before comprehension dawned on him, and he could feel his eyes widening rapidly. “You mean …?”

Lucretia nodded rapidly, still beaming like a fool.

“I’m three months pregnant!”

She jumped forward again and grabbed onto him, chanting her thanks over and over again with no end in sight. Harry caught Orion’s eye and took in his husband’s shocked expression. Lucretia had been married for over forty years and had never managed to conceive a single child, no matter how hard she’d tried. Harry had been working on a fertility potion for women with problems ever since the giving birth to the twins, and he’d completed his final product just six months previously.

“I’m going to be a mother.”

Lucretia had an awed expression of her face, one hand gently touching her lower abdomen as she gazed at her own stomach.

Orion walked closer to his sister and enveloped her in his arms. “Congratulations, Lu.”

As Harry watched the two siblings bond over the _very_ long-awaited joy, he took a moment to contemplate the mad woman Lucretia’s possible spawn growing up and attending school with the spawn of Alphard. And possibly his own child if things went to plan.

_Yeah, Hogwarts is so screwed._

Lucretia giggled and beamed as Orion smirked at her.

_At least it’ll be a family-bonding experience._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regulus is a sweetheart, and I will fight anyone who disagrees with me.


	5. A changing future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

“So, how does it feel? Knowing that your own experiments have led to an unprecedented number of Black pregnancies?”

Harry just glared weakly at Orion, trying to calm his breathing so he didn’t vomit on the expensive Persian rug. Morning sickness – which was _not_ relegated to just mornings; _pure lies_ – was just as awful the second time around, though it helped knowing just what worked for him and what didn’t. He was also grateful that he could still use magic and do his job, a fact that was made even better by every one of his current patients being a member of the House of Black. He could keep up with a routine that did wonders for his stress levels, all the while not having to expose himself to potentially dangerous situations in any way.

The vast majority of said patients were pregnant at this moment in time, creating something of a baby boom for the Blacks. Aside from Alphard and Lucretia, Orion had in fact managed to get Harry pregnant startlingly quickly, as well as Dorea spontaneously turning up a couple of months ago and essentially demanding the same fertility potion as Lucretia, then railroading her husband into having a second child. Not to mention that Lucretia was carrying _twins_ , meaning an extra vessel of mayhem in several months.

He was grateful that his sons were so accepting of the fact, though. Al and Ri thought it was great that they wouldn’t be the youngest anymore, reminding Harry of little Reg when the twins had been announced all those years ago.

Reg himself was openly supportive of Harry’s pregnancy, simply wondering if they’d inherit the Black or Peverell Family magic. It could really go either way, to be honest. His second son was quietly eager for a new sibling, and Harry couldn’t help but wistfully imagine this is what Reg would be like with his own children in the future. (Children that didn’t seem that far into the future with how Alistair had gone the whole nine yards and sent an official offer of betrothal for Reg to Arcturus. Once the Lords Black and Potter hashed out the details, his precious son was going to be fully betrothed. _Madness. Complete and utter madness_.)

On the other hand, Siri had decided to start up several different betting pools with both his friends and other members of the family over every little facet of Harry’s pregnancy. More than a few were already grumbling about losing gold since he’d revealed he was only carrying the one child this time. Harry was also aware of bets concerning gender, eye colour, magic leanings, and for some bizarre reason, hair colour. As if he and Orion didn’t both have black hair. Yes, genetically speaking it was possible for something else to occur, but it was highly unlikely. Siri was just a compulsive gambler; he’d have to keep an eye on him.

Harry closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, wishing desperately that he could fast-forward the remaining months of his pregnancy and simply wake up in bed with his baby. Aside from the horrendous nausea – which should be tapering off in the next couple of weeks, fingers crossed – he also had to contend himself with the inevitable weight gain, insomnia, mood swings, then giving birth again. His body was much healthier this time around, but that didn’t mean that complications might not arise. Harry had already asked one of his associates from Saint Mungo’s to be on call in the weeks up until his due date. One problematic birth was enough for a lifetime, thank you very much.

He felt warm hands cover his and he opened his eyes, peering up to see Orion hovering over him looking more than a little concerned. Harry smiled and tried to speak, but he was interrupted by the annoyingly familiar sensation of his stomach turning violently. He pulled back and quickly leaned over the side of the sofa, inwardly thanking the presence of the bucket he’d conjured.

After emptying his stomach, and somewhat wishing that the man he was in love with hadn’t seen him in such a disgusting situation, Harry pulled back and began the routine of vanishing anything untoward and cleaning out his mouth with a few intensive spells. He rested his head against the armrest and tried to regulate his breathing. _This kid pulls no punches_.

“Not to be harsh or anything, but I really don’t think I can do this again.”

He felt his husband pause from where he was rubbing Harry’s back. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, the words worryingly unsure for such a confident man.

“After this pregnancy, I don’t think I'll be able to cope with another one. I know having children is something we both love, but I have a feeling that my body isn’t going to accept that decision after this time.”

The older man sighed, the relieved sound puzzling Harry. Why was he so relieved? Harry slowly lifted his head and turned, meeting silver eyes and asking the very same question.

Orion looked incredibly reluctant to answer before he huffed and leaned forward to cup Harry’s cheek, his thumb stroking the skin there as he looked Harry in the eye.

“I was worried that you were referring to this current pregnancy. That you couldn’t deal with it now.”

Harry blinked as his mind processed the words, but once he made the connection, he lightly flicked Orion’s nose with his fingers, grinning at the bewildered expression and crossed eyes. _A rather good reaction, if I do say so myself._

His husband huffed and rolled his eyes, moving so he could sit on the sofa with Harry’s legs on his lap. The older man laid a hand on Harry’s stomach, slowly rubbing where he could no doubt feel the light kicks from inside. Their child was incredibly active; Harry wouldn’t be surprised if he had internal bruising from all the stray movements. He had a feeling they’d be a great dueller when they were older.

Harry hummed at the soothing massage and closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the arm of the sofa as he took deep breaths. Thankfully, the nausea was quickly fading. If anything, he was feeling hungry again. _Bloody morning sickness. I wish it would stop messing me around._

“Are you okay now?”

“Hmm,” he replied, eyes still closed. It was nice being able to take a few moments to himself without being judged for it. Just another reason as to why he would never regret marrying Orion. The man was so ridiculously understanding, it was all Harry could do not to drape himself all over his husband and never let go. Which might sound sappy, but he _was_ pregnant again. It was a pretty good excuse.

The time traveller stretched his back out before settling back into the soft cushions. “Do you think Reg is going be okay with the exam pressure?” He opened his eyes and gazed up at Orion. “From what he’s said, the professors aren’t doing much to help anyone. I’m worried that the students are suffering for no real reason.”

Orion frowned heavily. “It shouldn’t be hard for the staff to hold review sessions. I don’t really see why they’re being like this.”

“Perhaps it has something to do with the number of professors,” Harry said slowly. “It does seem rather ridiculous that each of them has to oversee hundreds of students all by themselves. There has to be so many kids that slip through the cracks when it comes to getting the academic help they need. I can remember the professors all being constantly run off their feet before. Actually getting them to help with schoolwork was a miracle,” he added quietly, memories of his disastrous school career running through his mind.

His husband was silent, but Harry could see his thoughts racing as he stroked Harry’s rounded stomach. It was an endearing sight; no matter how distracted he became with other issues, Orion remained focused on his children. Yet another reason that Harry loved him.

“It looks like it might be time for Hogwarts to get a much-needed overhaul.”

“Do you think it’ll be easy?” Harry asked, thinking about how much support his husband would need for such an endeavour.

Orion smirked at him. “Harry, do you really think there’s any chance of me failing?”

Harry huffed and rolled his eyes, silently conceding the point. If there was one thing that could be said about Orion Black, it was that he was _tenacious_. ‘Failure’ wasn’t a word that existed in his vocabulary.

“I’m sure the next academic year will be rather different, won’t it?”

The taller man smiled down at him before leaning down, brushing a soft kiss against Harry’s lips that made him sigh contentedly. Harry lifted his hands to cradle Orion’s jaw, pushing up into the chaste intimacy. He could feel Orion’s barely-there stubble rubbing his own cheek and hummed, pulling his husband’s bottom lip into his mouth and sucking it lightly.

Orion groaned and licked his top lip quickly before slowly extricating himself from the bruising kiss, though he remained barely an inch from Harry’s face. He felt warm and knew his cheeks were flushed a deep red, though he was gratified to see that Orion was just as affected. The man stared down at him as he stroked Harry’s neck, silver eyes darkened with desire.

“You’re going to be the death of me one day, Husband.”

Harry grinned in response. “I’d say sorry if I didn’t feel the same way about you.”

The taller man snorted softly and pressed a gentle kiss to Harry’s mouth for a few seconds before pulling back. Orion sat up and moved Harry’s legs so he could stand up, turning to the green-eyed man to help him get up.

One of Harry’s hands automatically found his stomach as the other was held in Orion’s larger hand. It was astounding how casual intimacy such as this could do wonders for one’s happiness. He'd always wanted a family in every way possible, and this man next to him had given Harry everything he’d ever wanted and more. Orion might consider himself a lucky man, but Harry felt truly blessed on so many levels.

He was happy.

The sound of giggling suddenly floated through the door and Orion and Harry turned to each other, Harry fighting a grin at the familiar sound. His husband’s lips twitched in amusement and shook his head, looking far too entertained to be the stoic Heir Black in this situation.

The couple made their way towards the door and poked their heads out, peering around before they found the source of the mischievous laughter. Harry stifled a snort at the image in front of him and bit his lip. _I don’t know why I’m even surprised anymore._

Across the hallway stood a large oak table, the surface draped with an embroidered silk cloth from China. The cloth was large enough to touch the floor on all sides, and would usually do so if it weren’t for the two sets of feet poking out from underneath. The giddy laughter from underneath was more than enough evidence as to who was hiding behind the silk, even if the imps were supposed to be in a tutoring lesson right now.

Harry and Orion walked over to the table in silence and bent down on the ground, pausing for a moment to share a small smirk. They broke eye-contact to turn and grab the tablecloth, lifting in unison to expose the little demons taking refuge underneath.

“Dad! Papa!”

Sheepish expressions were sent their way, contrite green eyes flicking from their faces to the ground and back. Ri and Al were constantly shifting where they were sat, but what really tested Harry’s composure – and Orion’s, if Harry was right – was the chocolate smeared around their mouths from the slices of cake held in their grubby hands.

Orion cleared his throat, impressively holding in his laughter. “Do I even want to know why you’re here instead of downstairs with your aunt?”

Al pouted, his cheeks puffing out adorably. “But Dad, we already _know_ the potion that Auntie's teaching us! Papa did that with us ages ago!”

“Yeah!” Ri added, nodding furiously. “She doesn’t believe us, and she won’t let us do something else. It’s _boring_ ,” he whined.

Harry swallowed his hysterics. “And the chocolate cake? I seem to remember that your aunt said you weren’t allowed any sweets until your lesson was done.”

Instead of the expected guilt from his sons, Harry watched as smug pride filled their eyes, the two boys lifting their chins in defiance. Harry wondered what it said about him that he found the sight cuter than anything else.

“Actually, that’s not what Auntie said.”

“She said that we weren’t allowed any cookies until we were done.”

“And she got Kreacher to make sure we didn’t have any cookies.”

“But she didn’t say anything about anything else.”

“Which included cake!”

“Yeah, so we asked for some after we escaped!”

“And then we hid under here to eat it.”

Harry was taking steady breaths so he didn’t start crying with laughter, because his sons were _such_ sneaky little shits. Really and truly, he couldn’t say anything about their behaviour, because they hadn’t really done anything wrong. A glance at his husband said he was on the same page. The corners of his mouth were just slightly turned up, Orion fighting the grin with everything he had.

Considering Harry often taught the twins various potions far ahead of what other children their age would know, he had no doubt that their current lesson would be far behind their capabilities. The boys probably felt offended, knowing them.

As for the cake, well, they weren’t wrong, were they? Harry just shook his head. If they were already finding loopholes to their own advantage at eight, then there was no way they’d be avoiding Slytherin in a couple of years. _Sneaky little snakes._

Harry’s stomach took that moment to rumble, apparently ready for solid food once more. Ri and Al blinked at the sound and looked at each other, using that mystical power all twins seemed to possess in order to talk without words.

The boys turned back to him and silently offered Harry their cake with earnest looks on their dirty faces.

“I think the baby’s hungry, Papa.”

“Don’t worry, they can share our cake.”

A few seconds later saw the parents laughing loudly, each with a chocolate-covered child seated in their lap. Orion and Harry had their arms wrapped around the boys, heedless of the mess now covering their clothes. Harry buried his nose in Al’s hair and grinned widely.

What had he done to deserve this brilliant family?

* * *

“Well, that’s interesting.”

Harry turned to Orion and raised a brow. “What’s that?”

His husband shifted closer to Harry and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Do you remember how Bellatrix and Narcissa said they’d be bringing the men who wanted to court them?”

He let his eyes drift over towards the door, his eyebrows climbing towards his hairline at the surprising sight. “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting _that_.”

“Considering what you mentioned of your life before, I can’t help but agree,” Orion murmured to him. “I daresay that Cygnus’ daughters are far better off now than before. Being able to make their own choices has done wonders for them, even if those choices are rather unusual to everyone else.”

_That’s a mild way of putting it._

Harry watched as Bellatrix strode into the gardens, tall and proud in a way her future self could have never achieved. The young woman’s hair was smoothly piled on her head in elaborate twists, which paired with the lack of insanity in her clear silver eyes gave her a far different appearance than the insane woman who’d murdered her own cousin with relish.

Considering this Bellatrix and Sirius got along swimmingly, both having a terrible sense of humour with a healthy dose of sarcasm, Harry thought it was safe to say that those scenes from his nightmares were never going to happen.

Even more bizarre was that Sirius’ cousin was arm in arm with one Lucius Malfoy, the blonde looking far more relaxed than Harry had ever seen him. The young man had an amused glint in his grey eyes as he quietly conversed with Bellatrix, the two seemingly evenly matched for snark. From what Harry could see, the two magicals balanced each other out far more than Lucius and Narcissa ever had. Where the two blondes had been cold and reserved together, Bellatrix brought out Lucius’ inner fire. Harry wished them luck.

It was even better as Narcissa was clearly happy for her eldest sister, smiling gently at the black-haired witch whenever her blue eyes strayed over to her. The blonde witch also looked content herself, freely smiling as opposed to the icy Malfoy matriarch from Harry’s childhood. From his place on the garden sofa, Harry watched Narcissa laugh freely at whatever her new beau had said, the man grinning in response to the younger woman’s amusement.

He’d certainly never expected to see Narcissa with Fabian Prewett of all people, though.

“Any idea how Narcissa found her way towards Fabian?” Harry asked quietly.

Orion snorted softly. “I believe that after she came back from holiday with Bellatrix and Andromeda, Alphard invited the three of them round to his home to meet Gideon. Fabian was, of course, also present. Alphard told me the two of them hit if off rather quickly.”

“Hmm … She definitely looks happier than before. I hope she’s happy this time around. The same for her sisters.”

“Well, they’re already doing better than in your past,” Orion quipped, a small smirk playing about his lips.

Harry rolled his eyes, not deigning to give his husband a response. His green eyes drifted around the gardens of Black Manor, settling on his sons running around with Marius’ sons and their Kneazles. The various other children were dotted around the extensive gardens, either by themselves in small groups (supervised by elves) or trailing after their parents. It was rather adorable, to be honest.

He smiled and gazed around, the slight breeze blowing strands of his hair askew. It certainly wasn’t a sight that strangers would have expected of them. House Black and their various descendants had gathered for the day for no other reason than to catch up with one another, and give the children a chance to have fun with their cousins. The relaxed atmosphere seeped throughout the whole grounds, the sounds of laughter and casual chatter emphasising the informality of the occasion.

Harry was glad he’d come.

“Thinking deep thoughts?”

He turned to Orion and shook his head, a small smile on his face.

“Thinking happy thoughts.”

His husband leaned forward and placed a kiss on Harry’s forehead, pulling back to stare into his eyes. Orion Black was an eloquent man in every way, but he didn’t always use his words in every situation. In this case, he didn’t have to; Harry knew what he meant.

_I love you._

Harry snuggled into Orion’s side and rested his head on the strong shoulder, sighing softly at the warmth.

_I love you, too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love experimenting with different versions of the Black sisters. I would have loved to see their canonical childhoods. Also, the twins are awesome.


	6. This is going to be different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

Harry woke up to aching pain in his lower half, the sensation not quite as bad as it had been the last time around. He didn’t feel as panicked as before, instead taking his time to fully wake up and take stock of his body.

He sent a weary smile towards Orion, the tall man gently rocking a tiny form in his arms. The relaxed expression on his husband’s face was immensely relieving for Harry. If there was one thing he could count on Orion for, it was that he’d always be frank with Harry. As such, Orion clearly enjoying new fatherhood once more was a welcome sight to the time traveller.

“Do you want me to help you sit up?”

Harry nodded tiredly and Orion deposited their newest child in the cot next to the bed, gently adjusting their warm hat as he did so. The taller man then stepped closer to the bed, wrapping his strong arms around Harry’s waist in order to manoeuvre him to a sitting position with all his pillows supporting him.

Glancing over at the sleeping infant quickly, he looked back at Orion. “Are they definitely okay? They're nearly a month early.”

Orion sat on the edge of the bed and pressed his lips to Harry’s gently, holding the kiss for a few seconds. He pulled back and took Harry’s smaller hand in his, squeezing to no doubt reassure him. Which was working, because Harry trusted his husband like no other.

“They’re perfectly fine, but Healer Collins said it couldn’t hurt to monitor them for another month to make doubly sure. She said that you’d know what spells to use, so there’s not much for her to do unless you want any extra help.”

The Black turned to the cot briefly then smirked back at Harry. “So, our child’s perfectly fine, Harry. Do you want to know about them now? Hold them, perhaps?”

Harry shook his head, grinning slightly. “You’re a sarcastic bastard, aren’t you?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that first part, but I’ll have you know that my parents were married long before my birth, thank you very much.”

He huffed at even more sarcasm, but fell silent as his husband stood to pick up their fifth and final child. _Merlin, they’re small_. Even with Orion’s assurances, Harry was still nervous at how tiny his baby was. He himself was only short because of his childhood malnutrition, and he knew that he likely would have gotten to around 5’11” had things been different. However, his mother had been a petite 5’4”, and Melania was an inch shorter; hopefully, this newest child was taking after their grandmothers in stature rather than being small because of the early birth.

“Meet our daughter, Harry.”

Harry felt his breath catch as the girl was placed in his arms, her small body radiating a comforting warmth as she wiggled against his chest. She was _beautiful_. Her little face was relaxed in sleep, her tiny mouth in an adorable pout. His daughter was also his miniature in terms of facial structure, he noticed with a racing heart. She was the only one to have inherited his looks so far, and Harry felt somewhat that she’d completed their family.

A tiny hand grasped his finger in her sleep, and Harry beamed down at the infant with tears at the corners of his eyes. He could admit that he’d always wanted a daughter. Not because he was disappointed with any of his sons – a spectacularly stupid idea, if there ever was one – but because he’d wanted to have the experience of both, at least once. Harry had raised four sons, and now he had a chance to raise a daughter for the first time.

She was completely precious.

He glanced up at Orion and melted at the affection present in those silver eyes he loved so much. His husband seemed to constantly switch focus between Harry and the baby, yet he looked equally as blessed each time his gaze shifted. A husband that loved them both was something he was enormously grateful for.

Harry knew full well that a great many traditionalists despised the idea of having daughters, seeing them as entirely useless for the future continuation of their family lines. Typically, unless a House was matriarchal, only a son gave his name to any children had, so daughters were often viewed only in terms of politically advantageous marriages. The number of people who immediately became disappointed by a girl being born was disgusting to Harry; that many of those particular idiots went on to ignore or mistreat their daughters was abhorrent.

Fortunately, Harry was aware that Orion didn’t have a gender preference for their children. He was happy to sire both daughters _and_ sons, only being concerned with the familial traditions of individual Houses. Both the Black and Peverell families had strict male-only inheritances because of how the Family magics could adversely affect women, not because of any inherent biases. Harry would quite happily adhere to a patriarchal system somewhat if it protected his children.

 _Nothing_ would hurt them if he could help it.

He tore his gaze from his daughter once more – he could easily stare at her adorable face for hours on end – and met Orion’s eyes, trying not to smirk at his expression. His husband was totally going to spoil this little girl, he just knew it. Harry could envision her as a total daddy’s girl with Orion. Not that he’d be much better. He could admit to himself that he’d easily become wrapped around her little finger. He was much the same with their sons. Sons who would likely also trip over themselves to dote on their sister as she grew.

Orion smirked back at him before nodding at their daughter. “Before we start talking about names, which I know you want to get to, you might want to check underneath her hat. I do believe Siri is going to make a killing from his little gambling ring.”

Harry blinked in surprise before peering down at his daughter. He shifted so he could free one arm and reached for the thick, yellow hat covering the girl’s small head. Pulling it aside, he paused and started chuckling, shaking his head at the sight of his little girl’s curly hair.

Her curly, platinum blonde hair.

“Well, that’s certainly unexpected,” he murmured with a smile.

Orion moved so he could sit fully on the bed next to Harry, an arm around his waist. His husband peered down at their daughter and smirked slightly. _Unflappable bastard._

“Unexpected, but not entirely impossible,” he replied. “My mother’s blonde, as is my paternal grandmother, Hesper Gamp. You said that your maternal grandfather was blonde, right?”

Harry nodded. “Yes, Harry Evans, who I was named after. His hair wasn’t this light, but it was close. This looks like Malfoy blonde.”

“Grandmother Hesper’s mother was a Malfoy,” Orion explained quietly, one hand gently stroking their daughter’s cheek. “So was Druella’s mother. It's how Narcissa inherited that shade of blonde.”

“Wait.” Harry frowned at Orion. “Does that mean that Bellatrix – and her sisters – are related to Lucius?”

“Yes. They're … third cousins through Lucius’ paternal heritage, his Malfoy blood.” His husband paused and tilted his head slightly, clearly thinking something through. “They’re also third cousins through Lucius’ mother. Lucius is the great-grandson of my great-aunt Belvina.”

“Jesus Christ, you pure-bloods really need to stop marrying each other,” Harry muttered.

Orion snorted. “Why do you think I was horrified when the idea of marrying Walburga came up? Anyway, do you have any ideas for names? I was hoping to give her an original name instead of honouring someone else.”

Harry hummed quietly, carefully pulling the baby closer to his chest so he could lean into Orion. “Well, she clearly has the Black magic. A star name would be appropriate, I think. I had a few in mind, though there’s one I quite like more than the others. I’m not sure if it’s too unusual, though,” Harry said while biting his bottom lip. He didn’t want to bestow an awful name on his own child.

“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but naming all of our children after celestial objects or ancient figures isn’t that strange in this family,” Orion teased. His husband kissed the side of Harry’s head. “I don’t think there’s much of a chance of you choosing a terrible name, Harry. What did you want to use?”

“… I liked the look of ‘Ascella’.”

“That’s a lovely name, Harry. Not to mention, I can’t think of a single dead relative with that name.”

Harry rolled his eyes at his husband’s blasé tone, trying not to laugh and wake up the sleeping child. He turned to the taller man and caught his eye. “Is that okay then? Ascella Black.”

Orion grinned wickedly. “Well, she _is_ lacking a middle name.” The Black sobered and gazed into Harry’s eyes, smiling gently, the expression so at odds with his previous air of mischief. _What's he up to now?_

“When we had the twins, I chose your names as their middle names as tradition dictated. I know that giving Al your father’s name was an especially moving occasion for you. Your past is still close to you, as are your memories of your parents. However, using ‘James’ for one of your sons and then ‘Lily’ for a daughter would be pretty suspicious, especially given that they’re currently Siri’s friends. I’ve come up with an alternative, though, seeing as there are some constellations that have been discarded.

“Such as one that denotes a lily.”

Harry felt his breath catch as Orion leaned his forehead against Harry’s, that smile doing nothing good for his blood pressure. He could feel his heart pounding, the blood rushing through his ears at the sight of his husband’s loving expression.

“So, how about Ascella Lilium Black?”

He leaned forward and buried his face into Orion’s shoulder, trying to blink away the few tears he could feel building at the corners of his eyes. He didn’t care if he was considered to be overly emotional. He didn’t care that he was a grown man with a successful career. He didn’t care that he’d arguably been in far more emotional situations than this.

He didn’t care.

Harry loved his husband more than he could fully communicate right now. Giving Harry a chance to honour the woman who’d given him life, who’d sacrificed her life for his, was beyond his expectations. He'd originally considered asking Orion if they could at least give their daughter a flower-derived middle name, but this was far better.

‘Lilium’ meant ‘lily’. It was a direct reference while also celebrating her Black heritage. It was perfect, and nobody would know it was because Harry was a time traveller who still cherished the few memories of his dearly-departed mother.

_Orion really is a genius._

“Thank you. _Thank you_. It's perfect.”

His husband enveloped Harry and Ascella in his strong arms, holding them close to his chest while Harry came to terms with his heightened emotions. For his part, Harry gently rocked Ascella carefully and composed himself while watching her angelic face. His daughter scrunched up her face and waved a tiny fist above her head, sleeping but clearly still annoyed with something. _God, she’s amazing._

Harry finally settled his breathing and pulled back, smiling up at Orion. He leaned in to kiss Orion’s cheek briefly. “I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling that the boys are going to riot soon if they don’t meet their newest sibling.”

Orion snorted in response but carefully settled Harry against the pillows again before getting off the bed. He stood up and stretched, grimacing at the cracking sound from his back, before making his way towards the door and removing the various wards and spells keeping everyone else out. He opened the door slightly and muttered brief instructions – likely to be quiet and behaved – before swinging the door wide and inviting their sons in.

Ri and Al darted in with Siri and Reg hot on their heels, his four sons stopping a foot away from the bed. Four sets of eyes were standing at Harry and Ascella in wonder, the twins especially amazed at the sight. Seeing as they’d never seen a new-born before, Harry wasn’t surprised.

Harry smiled at his children and beckoned them closer, encouraging the boys as they climbed onto the bed slower than he thought possible for his excitable children. _Apparently, my sons_ can _be careful._ Siri was on his left, Reg to the right, with the twins on their older brothers’ laps. It was an endearing sight, especially with how all four of them were craning their necks to see their newest sibling better.

“Boys, meet your sister. Her name’s Ascella Lilium Black.”

“It’s a girl?”

Harry turned to his youngest son with an indulgent smile. “Yes, Al. She's a girl.”

“Is she supposed to be so quiet?” asked Ri.

Harry chuckled quietly. “She’s only quiet right now because she’s sleeping, Ri. Trust me, that’ll change when she wakes up. You were the same at that age,” Harry teased, grinning at the resulting pout.

“So, we finally have a girl in the house.”

Reg looked intrigued but happy at the prospect, so Harry was content to leave his second son be. Considering he could already see a loving and protective glint in Reg’s eyes, Harry knew there would be no trouble from that corner. Siri on the other hand …

“Why are you grinning like that?” Harry asked flatly.

His oldest sent him a wicked smirk. “Papa, do you have any idea how much money I’ve just made because she’s a girl?”

“You little demon,” Harry muttered under his breath. The snort from Reg said that Harry hadn’t been as quiet as he’d hoped. _Oh, well. I'm not wrong though, am I?_

“Before you start counting your winnings, you should be aware of something else you were betting about.”

Sirius blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

Harry just grinned at him before removing Ascella’s little hat, stifling his laughter as Siri gaped unattractively at his sister’s blonde locks. It was an awful expression on the teenager. What Marlene McKinnon saw in him, Harry would never know.

“I think someone actually bet that she’d have blonde hair, too. I can’t remember who, though,” Siri trailed off with a frown on his aristocratic face.

“That would be me.”

Harry just sighed at Reg’s smug face, too tired to care how his son had predicted this bizarre situation. Oddities were part and parcel of their family, after all.

Siri started grumbling under his breath as Reg preened, and the twins were engrossed in softly stroking Ascella’s delicate hands. Their green eyes were filled with awe at their sister’s tiny form, and Harry smiled widely at the sight. He was beyond grateful that Ri and Al weren’t at all resentful of Ascella taking their place as the youngest of the family. Harry knew that such occurrences happened often enough, and he really didn’t want to deal with potential sibling jealousy and rivalry.

Orion strode over and smiled down at those on the bed, no doubt amused by the tableau they presented. Siri had his head buried into Harry’s shoulder as he whined at the unfairness of being duped by his younger brother, Ri was leaning from Siri’s lap to inspect his sister in an extremely uncomfortable position, Reg was smirking widely as he petted Al’s hair, and Al was laying across Reg’s lap and against Harry’s side as he studied Ascella with a focus not often seen on a nine-year-old. Harry was trapped in the middle, his daughter held securely on his lap as she became the centre of attention.

This was his family.

They were all kind of mad, more than a little obsessed with maintaining that their own ideas were the best ones, and they all made him roll his eyes far more often than was probably healthy. Harry had four sons who would no doubt conspire against him to give him as many grey hairs as possible, as _soon_ as they could, four imps who delighted in leaving mayhem in their wake wherever they went. His husband took too much enjoyment from teasing him as often as he could, and now he had a daughter who was going to give him terrible anxiety as soon as she was old enough to explore any semblance of romance. They were all his, as awful as they were.

He wouldn’t give them up for anything.

Harry leaned up into Orion as he bent over the bed, pushing into the chaste kiss even as their sons all made various noises of disgust. Harry grinned into the kiss, thoroughly entertained at the animated responses from their children.

This was his life.

He pulled back and gazed down at Ascella, beaming as she yawned and blinked awake, unfocused baby blue eyes trailing around the room. Her little hands were gripping onto the twins’ fingers and testing her strength, even as she kicked her tiny legs to no avail.

She was gorgeous.

_Welcome to the family, Ascella._

Harry grinned as he watched all four of his sons crowd around the infant, waving their hands in front of her face as they smiled lovingly at her. Harry leaned backwards into Orion’s arms and continued watching their daughter.

_You’re already loved beyond measure._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family fluff for the win :)
> 
> Also (and I totally forgot to add this note because my memory is like a sieve) about Ascella's name, I'm well aware of the odd translation, but that's really the least worrying thing about the Blacks' names. I won't name all of the instances, but an example would be the mythology behind Orion. There's one story where he's said to rape his wife, which I find to be far more problematic than a Latin name for a body part. Another reason I didn't change it was because I was too lazy to, simple as.
> 
> Thanks to the people who've commented about the weird name so far, but it's a lot less worrying than some other names that pop up in the series.


	7. Growing up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

Harry stood up and walked across the room, looking down into the wide cot and grinning at the babies inside.

Really, they made a truly adorable picture.

Ascella, his little Elle, was lying next to Alphard’s son Antares, the two Blacks holding hands as they kicked their little legs into the air while babbling in their usual nonsensical language. Next to them, Lucretia’s twins were sleeping curled around each other, their deep red hair a massive contrast to the cream blankets and cushions surrounding the babies. Rounding off the group was Dorea’s daughter, the poor little girl having the traditional Potter mane, brown hair so dark it was nearly black pointing in every direction.

Hogwarts was going to be so crazy when they all went together.

July and August had been pretty hectic months for the House of Black in terms of births. First, Lucretia had gone into labour while in the middle of an argument with her brother-in-law. Which honestly translated into Lucretia ripping into the idiot while her magic had been crackling throughout the room in preparation for cursing Silvius Prewett into oblivion. Twenty hours later, Harold and Meissa Prewett had been welcomed into the world.

Harry could admit that he’d had a bit of a lump in his throat after his sister-in-law told him that she was naming her children after him and Orion. All because Harry had given her that potion, and Orion had been her emotional rock ever since he was a child. ‘Harold’ for him, and ‘Meissa’ for being a star in the constellation Orion. It was beyond touching.

A mere eight days later, Alphard’s body had decided to start the birthing process while he was in the middle of having sex with his husband. The Healer in Harry had told him that it was perfectly normal, seeing as sexual intercourse could release certain hormones that induced labour. The man in Harry had wanted to facepalm and laugh hysterically at such a ridiculous set of circumstances, especially as Harry had had to answer that particular floo call from a naked and stressed Gideon.

Definitely a night to remember, if nothing else.

Then of course Harry’s contractions had started a month early, and he’d flooed Saint Mungo’s for some of his favourite fellow Healers to come and give him a caesarean, because his body had _not_ been up to a natural birth. Despite the pain and few days of bed rest, he’d gotten his beautiful daughter out of the ordeal, so Harry considered it to be a fairly good trade-off.

Finally, six days after Elle came into the world, Harry had visited the Potter residence to help Dorea deliver the first Potter daughter in five generations. Thalia Potter had arrived fairly quickly with minimal stress to Dorea, though the same couldn’t have been said for her husband and son. Charlus’ worry had been understandable to Harry; it had been difficult enough to have James for the couple, and a second child was somewhat terrifying. Harry hadn’t quite been able to stifle his chuckles at James freaking out at his mother in the birthing bed, though. The teen had long since gotten used to the idea of being an only child, and the appearance of a sister had thrown him for a loop.

Though seeing as the brat now treated his sister like a literal Princess, he was clearly enamoured with the idea. Perhaps it would also teach him some responsibility?

Harry shook off the memories and wiggled his fingers above Thalia’s face, grinning as the little girl grabbed his hand and stared into his face intently. He wouldn’t be surprised if the school would finally be graced with a Slytherin Potter when she was eleven. The girl certainly seemed to be Dorea’s daughter through and through despite her messy hair.

“Having fun, Uncle Harry?”

He extricated himself from the intelligent infant’s grip and turned around, smiling at the young woman across the room.

“Always, Narcissa.”

The blonde woman rolled her eyes but wandered over to the cot as well, peering down at her new cousins with a hint of yearning in her blue eyes. Harry snorted internally. If Fabian only wanted one child, then he was soon going to be in for a rude awakening.

“It’s quite nice to see another blonde Black.”

Harry held in his frown at the woman’s neutral tone, but he knew full well what she was referring to. Her parent’s marriage had been a disaster from the very start, and nearly all the blame could be laid at her mother’s feet.

Druella Rosier had been a spoiled little brat, and she’d been betrothed to Cygnus when she was only ten, and him five. Of course, the tart had been discovered in bed with an older gentleman not long after her seventh year at Hogwarts began, so the marriage had hastily gone ahead with Cygnus only a mere twelve-years-old at the time. Their betrothal contract had been unbreakable, and neither the Blacks nor the Rosiers had wanted Druella to turn up pregnant with a bastard child, hence the quick marriage.

The girl had been pulled from Hogwarts and left in her new home to deal with her pregnancy with some help from the Blacks. Things might have gone differently if it weren’t for the fact that she’d birthed Bellatrix, and _not_ a son. As her children were to be the first of the next generation of Blacks, Druella had wanted sons to further her own position.

Andromeda's birth had only twisted the young woman’s mind further.

Cygnus’ unwanted wife had then gone on to have several affairs, leaving her daughters in the care of a multitude of elves while she slept with any man who would have her. She had fallen pregnant with Narcissa during Cygnus’ summer break after his sixth year, but there had been many questions about the child’s legitimacy at the time.

Even with the child appearing on the Black tapestry, and being born with the Black Family magic, many gossips had deemed the third daughter to be a bastard. Her not looking like a traditional Black hadn’t helped. Narcissa’s blonde hair and blue eyes were the mirror image of Druella, who had inherited the colouring from her own Malfoy mother. Considering one of Druella’s many lovers had been her own cousin Abraxas Malfoy, it had unfortunately lent more credence to the theory of her illegitimacy.

Once Harry had arrived in the past, he’d told Orion and Arcturus about Druella’s abhorrent treatment of her daughters. Druella had been the main driving force behind Bellatrix’s insanity; the girl’s formative years had been spent without Cygnus around because he’d been at school, and then she’d kept quiet about the torture in order to protect her sisters, even as her own mind had been further destroyed at the hands of her own mother.

Walburga hadn’t been the only member of the House of Black to suffer an ‘accident’ after Harry’s appearance.

Harry stayed silent but placed a hand on Narcissa’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “You know, Lucretia might be my daughter’s godmother, but she’s got her own children to take care of now. Elle’s going to need more than one female role model, and I think she’d be thrilled to be close to her Cousin Narcissa as she grew up. Or _Aunt_ Narcissa as it might be because of the age difference.”

The blonde woman looked him in the eye, a hint of shock in those blue depths that hurt Harry’s heart. _She didn’t deserve to go through all that and end up so vulnerable._

“Do you mean that?” she asked, a hopeful note to her voice.

“Of course,” Harry replied with a small smile. “Just because I love my daughter more than anything, doesn’t mean that I’m going to be able to understand her perspective on certain things. From what I understand, only a woman can possibly understand a young girl’s mind when it comes to a few topics,” he teased gently, grinning as Narcissa’s shoulders relaxed somewhat.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

He pulled the blonde into his arms and hugged her. “You’re welcome, Narcissa.” He pressed a quick kiss to his niece’s head then pulled back. “How are things going between you and Fabian?”

Narcissa blushed somewhat and fidgeted where she stood, the picture a far cry from the Narcissa of his previous timeline. Instead of a woman who’d deliberately retreated into an icy persona just to protect herself from all angles, here was an openly happy woman who had healthy relationships within her birth House and was willingly being courted by a cheerful former Gryffindor.

It was astounding what the removal of one awful woman could do.

“To be perfectly honest, Uncle, Fabian and I are doing much better than I could have possibly anticipated. We haven’t told anyone else yet, but …”

She lifted her left arm and pulled down the oversized sleeve, exposing her pale hand and slender fingers. One of which was adorned with a breath-taking engagement ring studded with sapphires.

Harry beamed at her and hugged her tightly. “Congratulations! When did he ask you?”

Narcissa huffed a small laugh as she pulled back from the embrace. “Last night. He took me to the opera in Vienna.” The blonde blushed lightly. “He asked while we were taking a walk after dinner.”

Harry whistled, grinning as Narcissa’s blush deepened. _That man really went all out, didn’t he?_ He hadn’t expected Fabian to be that sort of man, but it seemed that the redhead was really committed to his niece. Which Harry approved of; she deserved to be treated like a treasured human being rather than a walking uterus to auction off as some people saw her.

“I’m happy for you, Narcissa. Have you thought at all about the wedding yet?”

She nodded with a smile. “We’re going to wed on Beltane.”

_Traditional through and through_. The festival which celebrated marriage, sex and fertility was a popular day for handfasting ceremonies, and invited blessings from Magic for a long-lasting union. It was a good choice.

“I can’t wait,” Harry said softly. They were a good couple.

Narcissa’s eyes shone with happiness. “I’m going to tell everyone else at dinner tonight.”

“That should get you some good reactions,” Harry quipped with a grin.

The blonde woman’s lips twitched upwards before she bid him goodbye and left the room, making sure to hide her ring once more. Harry shook his head and turned back to the five babies, all of whom were asleep now.

“Your cousin’s going to give someone a heart attack soon, isn’t she?”

Harry looked softly down at the sleeping infants before retreating back to the sofa and his glass of wine. He picked up his book and opened it to the appropriate page.

It was nice to have some peace and quiet.

* * *

_I spoke too soon, didn’t I?_

Harry watched as his oldest paced back and forth across his bedroom, looking about as erratic as his older self had upon escaping Azkaban. The teen was muttering under his breath and running a hand through his curls every so often, sending them all over the place. Siri's face was set with a deep frown, his brows pulled together in his agitation, and he routinely gnawed at his bottom lip.

_So much for a peaceful Yule._

“Siri? I know you said you wanted help, but I can’t really do anything unless you tell me what’s wrong.”

His son let out a frustrated sound and collapsed on his sofa gracelessly, arms crossed and eyes on the floor.

Worried. Cautious. _Defensive_.

Harry’s eyes narrowed at the position and moved to sit next to Siri, close but not touching. He didn’t want to make the teen withdraw further into himself. If he wanted Siri to open his mouth and tell Harry what was going on, he was going to have to let his son come to him. He wasn’t going to force him to speak; God only knew how terrible that would make things.

He let his gaze rove over Siri’s room at Black Manor, spotting the few things gave the room personality, as opposed to the blank atmosphere of the guest rooms. A small stack of Quidditch magazines on the bedside table, a copy of a George Orwell novel next to them, his leather jacket hanging on a chair by the window, and a photo album on top of some parchment on the desk. It was tidier than Siri’s room at Grimmauld Place, and a far sight better than the older Sirius’s room had been. Then again, considering many of the older decorations had been there for no other reason than to spite Walburga, his son didn’t exactly need them this time around.

“Papa?”

“Yes, Siri?”

Siri cleared his throat, swallowing a couple of times. “Do you … do you think it’s – that it’s too early to … to propose?” he asked in whisper, trailing off pitifully as he lowered his head even more.

Part of Harry wanted to smirk and tease his son about his love life, but the larger part needed to reassure him first. Harry would _always_ put his children’s happiness first.

He sighed and shifted closer to Siri, reaching out to pull the teen into a hug, one hand on the back of Siri’s head to rest it on Harry’s shoulder. He twisted his head a little to press a kiss to his son’s curls as he rubbed Siri’s back.

“Siri, it’s _your_ life, you know? If that’s what you want to do, then I say go for it. You’ve been friends with Marlene for years already, and together for a year; you know better than anyone how she’ll feel about it.”

“… She said she’d want to get married soon after school,” came the muffled response.

Harry hummed quietly. “As for proposing after only a year, you have nothing to be concerned about. You're making a decision based on true emotions. This isn’t you making an arbitrary choice because of a whim. If that were the case, you wouldn’t be as worried as you are. Your heart’s in the right place, Siri.

“Your relationship with Marlene grew from friendship, so really and truly you aren’t making a hasty decision,” Harry explained patiently. “The two of you first met when you were eleven, right? You've had a long time to develop your relationship. To tell you the truth, you’ve done a lot better than your father. It was only thirteen months after I met Orion that he proposed,” Harry said with a laugh, still somewhat disbelieving that their relationship had occurred so quickly, even all these years later.

Siri sat up and looked at him with wide eyes. “Thirteen months?! I didn’t realise it was _that_ quick!”

Harry grinned. “There wasn’t even two years between our meeting and me giving birth to the twins.”

His son looked bewildered and shook his head. “That’s mental. I can’t believe I didn’t realise that until now. I know my memory of being six isn’t that great, but I didn’t realise it was that bad.”

The time traveller chuckled softly and started stroking Siri’s hair. “So, do you understand? If everyone could accept my relationship with Orion, nobody’s going to say anything about you proposing to the girl you love after a whole year of being in a relationship. Your family are going to stand by you, Siri.”

“Even if …” His son trailed off with an embarrassed flush, as if he were ashamed by his own thoughts. _Hmm, I wonder …_

“Is this because Marlene’s a half-blood?”

Siri flinched slightly but nodded stiffly, clearly wanting an answer but desperate to escape the topic. Harry could understand the sentiment, even if he knew there was nothing to worry about.

“Sirius, neither Orion nor I care about that, you know? I myself am a half-blood because my mother was a muggle-born, and nobody has a problem with Andromeda’s marriage to Ted. As for Marlene, she has three pure-blood grandparents, so she’s close to being a pure-blood herself. It's only her muggle grandmother that makes her a half-blood. If you were to have children together, they would all be pure-bloods. That would quiet any naysayers, even if Orion and I don’t care. Siri, you could marry a muggle for all I care, and all I would worry about would be your happiness. The same for your father. And if he didn’t, then I’d hex him until he agreed,” Harry added with a conspiratorial grin.

He smiled wider as Siri snorted with laughter, his face lighting up with a light-hearted grin. That was what Harry wanted to see. He hadn’t been lying, either; Harry couldn’t give a crap who his children ended up with, as long as they were happy and with people who cared about them.

Harry knew that Marlene cared about Siri, having viciously defended his son in public against some gossiping students who’d had a problem with his Black blood. The blonde girl had received detention, but had apparently simply put her nose in the air and questioned when exactly the school had started condoning bullying based on unsubstantiated prejudice.

He was quite looking forward to having her as a daughter-in-law. And Reg was a _fantastic_ informant.

“So, any idea on when you’re going to propose? Have you got a ring yet?”

Siri blushed at the questions, but the small smile indicated that he was happy about the idea of popping the question. _First Reg gets betrothed, now Siri’s asking his girlfriend to marry him. Merlin, my children are growing up too quickly._

“I was hoping to ask a few days after New Year's. I was going to invite her to the Kew Gardens for the day and have a picnic, then ask. Erm, I don’t have a ring yet. I was hoping Dad might let me have a look in the vaults for one,” he finished with a sheepish expression.

Harry laughed lightly. “Siri, I don’t think you’ll have a problem there. Come find the two of us after dinner and we’ll sort it out together.”

His son leaned forward and buried his face into Harry’s chest, hugging him tightly.

“Thanks, Papa.”

“It’s no problem, Siri.”

Harry kissed Siri’s head again. “Just make sure you actually go to dinner. I'm sure you’ll enjoy the surprise.”

The teen pulled back and blinked silver eyes up at him. “Surprise?”

He tapped Siri on the nose. “Well, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you _now_ , would it?”

His son rolled his eyes. “You’re awful, Papa.”

Harry just chuckled, laughing even harder at the childish whine he got in return.

“Whatever. I know when my brilliant and curious mind isn’t wanted,” Siri sniffed dramatically, nose mockingly in the air. He looked like a complete and utter _idiot_. “I suppose I’ll have to go and annoy Reg instead.”

“Or you could go and stop your brother from hexing Alphard into oblivion for joking about his love life again,” Harry countered dryly.

Siri just grinned. “He _does_ kind of ask for it, doesn’t he?”

His oldest son then kissed him on the cheek and stood up, running out the doorway like a loon, all the while waving behind him with no decorum whatsoever.

_What strange children I have._

Harry stood up and made his way out his son’s room, wandering down the hallway towards the window facing the grounds. He was admiring the falling snow when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He leaned back and sighed in contentment.

Orion nuzzled his hair. “Do I even _want_ to know why our oldest child just started running through the manor like he was being chased by the hounds of Hell?”

“He’s excited.”

“About what?”

Harry spun around and grinned up at his husband. “I hope you’re prepared for two surprises tonight, Orion.”

The taller man raised a brow, an amused glint in his silver eyes. “Two? Well, the night should be entertaining, at least.” He paused and smirked down at Harry. “You’re not pregnant again, are you?”

Harry poked the man in the chest, frowning playfully. “Don’t even joke about that.”

Orion just chuckled lowly, causing Harry to start laughing as well. He leaned forward and embraced his husband, closing his eyes and enjoying their moment together.

It really _was_ nice to have some peace and quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sirius will always be a loveable idiot.


	8. Family and marriage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

“I have a question for you.”

Harry lifted his head from his book on mind magics and blinked at his visitor, just _slightly_ wary at the sight of the silver eyes focused intently on him. This was someone on a mission, no doubt about it.

And he wasn’t stupid enough to get in the way of Dorea Potter.

“Of course, Dorea. How can I help?”

The woman walked over and took a seat at the table opposite him, sitting back in the chair with a relaxed posture and calm expression. If it weren’t for the slightly tense shoulders, Harry wouldn’t have thought to question the woman’s mood. As it was, he was more than a little concerned at the usually unflappable woman looking so out of sorts. _I hope that nothing’s wrong._

“The fertility potion that you gave me was the same one that you gave to Lucretia, correct?”

Harry nodded slowly. “That’s right. You'd both had trouble with the conception process, so you were given the same potion.”

The woman took a deep breath and exhaled. “You said that the potion would be flushed out of the system once the woman was pregnant. Would it have possibly had something of a healing effect?”

“What do you mean?” he asked with a frown.

“Lucretia clearly had more dire issues than I did. Not even a single child conceived in over four decades. Despite my problems with conceiving, I _did_ manage to have James, even if it took nearly twenty years. In that case, wouldn’t you say that Lucretia’s problems with the whole process were more extensive than mine?”

“I suppose so …” he said slowly. “Though her pregnancy with the twins was smoother than yours with Thalia, so it’s not really straightforward enough to say that one of you was better off than the other.”

Dorea hummed, a tired look on her face. “Anyway, back to my original point. Could some of the potion have healed something in the reproductive system? More so than temporarily easing the way for conception?”

Harry tilted his head to the side, thinking about the ingredients of his potion. “I guess there’s a chance that some of the healing aspects _could_ have lasted longer than the conception period. The Unicorn horn, Murtlap tentacles and Mandrake Roots shouldn’t have done anything more than the potion’s intended purpose, but we can’t discount the possibility that the ingredients interacted with the person’s individual magical will,” he mused to himself. Harry looked at Dorea. “You know as well as I do the power of willpower when it comes to magic.”

The woman sighed heavily, though the emergence of a small grin on her face settled some of Harry’s anxiety. At least she wasn’t looking so stressed anymore. He still wasn’t sure what was going on with the woman, though; Dorea had had no issues with the fertility potion, so he couldn’t fathom why she was once more asking many of the same questions she had _before_ becoming pregnant with Thalia.

He cleared his throat and smiled at the woman. “I hope that answers your questions. Can I ask why you want to know all this?”

Dorea smiled wryly at him, an amused glint to her silver eyes that left Harry thoroughly confused. _This has been a strange day so far._

“I was asking if there are any lingering effects, because despite not actually trying, I’m already pregnant again.”

Harry stilled and blinked rapidly, trying to process the older woman’s bizarre words. This was _insane_. Harry hadn’t just randomly created a potion and tried to sell it without considering whether or not it would work, he’d had it thoroughly tested with several couples that had been struggling to conceive. All had gotten pregnant with the final version of his potion, and thankfully none of the pregnancies had resulted in tragedy for either mother or child.

Neither had any of the mothers come out the other side of pregnancy with an increased level of fertility. The potion had been a temporary boost to have a single pregnancy, not something with prolonged effects that could heal the reproductive system in any way. The mother _did not_ walk away with heightened fertility that assisted in a second pregnancy after the first.

Except for Dorea, apparently.

“Huh,” he said to himself, still baffled at this turn of events. “Well, fuck.”

Dorea laughed at him and grinned widely, the complete absence of tension in her frame a welcome sight. He supposed that she’d been worried that Harry had kept quiet about some of the effects of his potion, whether because he hadn’t wanted to give her false hope or something else. Which he wouldn’t have; Harry was a Healer that _enjoyed_ looking after his patients, and he wasn’t about to do anything to cause them any harm, physical, emotional or psychological.

The truth is, he hadn’t said anything about Dorea possibly becoming pregnant again for the simple reason that _none_ of the previous users had gotten pregnant naturally again after using the potion. (And they weren’t allowed to have that treatment again if they weren’t thoroughly checked by a Healer and given a clean bill of health. Harry wasn’t going to create things just to allow people to kill themselves with his inventions.)

_Oh, well. At least she looks better now_. Dorea was usually a cheerful woman – even if also scheming for her own entertainment – so it was more than a little off-putting to see her appear so out of sorts. _At face-value, she looked to be calm once more._

That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to check, though.

He reclined in his chair, keeping his face neutral. “So, is this welcome news?”

Her smile grew even more as she nodded. “Certainly! I mean, I hadn’t expected it to happen again, of course, but I can’t deny that I’m rather excited about this turn of events.” She paused then looked him in the eye with a massive smirk on her face. “Truthfully, I can’t wait to tell James that he’s going to be a big brother _again_. It'll be a nice graduation present for him, don’t you think?”

Harry snorted and started laughing, imagining the Potter teen in a blind panic once more at the thought of his mother being pregnant. No doubt James would be torn between spoiling his newest sibling or being a massive mother hen. Harry was curious as to how he’d be as a father.

He said as much to Dorea and grinned as she cackled loudly, making the nearby elf twitch violently at the sound.

Harry smirked and shook his head at the sight.

Their family would never be normal, would they?

* * *

Harry watched Narcissa and Fabian spin around the dancefloor and smiled at the sight.

The newly-wed couple were a striking match; the contrast between Narcissa’s pale blonde locks and the fiery red of Fabian was eye-catching, to say the least. He was curious what their future children would look like. Either way, it was unlikely that they’d be anything other than gorgeous.

His green eyes caught sight of Bellatrix and Lucius arm in arm at the back of the hall. _I wonder …_

“You’re not plotting, are you?”

Harry rolled his eyes and spun to face his husband, gratefully taking the offered glass even as he sent the taller man an unimpressed look. Orion really did think the worst of him, didn’t he?

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” He took a sip of the wine and shifted so he was leaning into his husband’s side. “I was thinking about Lucius and Bellatrix,” he said quietly so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard.

“In what sense?” asked Orion just as lowly.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but they seem to be even closer than before. Do you think they might be engaged already?”

Orion flicked his silver eyes onto the couple at the other end of the room and studied them intently, eyes unblinking as he took note of their body-language.

He hummed lowly. “I think you might be onto something, Husband.”

“If that’s the case, why do you think they haven’t said anything?” he asked. “It’s not as if anyone here disapproves of their relationship. I haven’t heard anything about the Malfoys and their attitude towards the marriage, but the courting _was_ accepted by Lord Malfoy. Miserable sod that he is,” Harry finished with an irritated mutter.

His husband stifled a snort, but Harry still heard and shot the man a filthy glare. “It’s alright for _you_ , you didn’t have to treat the bastard while being bitched at by the geriatric moron! Seriously, how difficult is it to understand that insulting a Hippogriff is a terrible idea?!” He wrinkled his nose thinking about the blonde family and their future offspring, sighing at his childhood memories of third year. “The entire House is full of pompous twats with no common sense," he grumbled.

Orion chuckled lowly, knowing _exactly_ what Harry was referring to after being told of the future Draco Malfoy’s exploits. Not that Harry had been at _all_ reticent to tell his husband; it was fun to see the taller man look at him with disbelief and mock the future blonde.

It was rather entertaining to watch, to be honest.

Harry just huffed and grinned at Orion. “Anyway, back to the previous topic. Why do you think they haven’t said anything?”

Orion hummed to himself quietly, clearly analysing the topic. “I think that it’s most likely because Bellatrix wants to keep quiet, at least for the moment.” He caught Harry’s questioning look and carried on. “You know about her childhood with Druella and how she wanted to protect her sisters. Even now she dotes on them. She probably wants Narcissa to have her moment in the spotlight, as it were. She likely doesn’t want to interfere with her youngest sister’s marriage. If they _are_ engaged, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was announced in a couple of weeks at the most.”

“I see.” Harry glanced at the couple and sighed lightly. “It’s still difficult, you know? After everything I saw in my childhood, it’s hard to see people who went on to commit truly atrocious acts against me and those I cared about, _especially_ when they’re just innocent people this time.” He watched Bellatrix laugh loudly, the high-pitched tinkling a complete contrast to the insane cackling he’d heard as a teen.

“Do you think it makes me a horrible person for still being wary?”

Orion wrapped an arm around him and kissed his temple, the warmth making Harry close his eyes. He hummed contentedly and leaned into the taller body, wishing they could be back at their home, in their bedroom and just wrapped up in each other’s arms. He didn’t want sex right now, he only wanted intimacy. Simply sharing a bed and enjoying his husband’s company.

It sounded amazing.

“I think I'd be more concerned if you _weren’t_ still wary,” Orion murmured into his ear. “The fact that you can still talk to these people – can even give them a chance – is remarkable. There aren’t many people who would be willing to overlook such horrid memories, and yet you are. You're an incredible man, Harry.”

Harry blushed and ducked his head, hiding his face from anyone else that might see. He might have been with Orion for over a decade already, but such honest and heartfelt compliments still often left him feeling like a shy and unsure teenager. It wasn’t as if he ever questioned his husband’s love for him, but considering how his formative years had gone, it wasn’t shocking that he still reacted to such words so strongly.

He wasn’t ashamed of feeling so deeply. And Orion loved to see it, so it was a win-win situation.

He pulled back when the music changed, another slow piece filling every inch of the hall with its melodious notes. Orion looked down at him and lifted a brow playfully, a small grin lighting up his handsome face. Harry cocked his head to the side in question.

“Do you want to dance?”

Harry knew full well that he’d never be a brilliant dancer, but he could do well enough after years of learning. And allowing himself to be led by Orion was a sure way to ensure he didn’t trip over his own feet and humiliate himself. He trusted his husband to look after him.

He smiled softly and held out him husband. “Sure.”

Orion wrapped his large hand around Harry’s and led him to the floor, wrapping his other arm around Harry’s waist. Harry placed his hand on Orion’s shoulder and relaxed, allowing the other man to direct the two of them to the beat of the music.

He stepped and spun, following without even thinking about it. Harry stood close and spent more time looking into Orion’s eyes than paying attention to where his feet were supposed to be, dancing in time with his husband thanks to the other man’s expertise.

The couple turned at the sound of giggles and watched Al and Ri dance with each other, the two boys having a ball by the looks of it. At nearly ten, the twins had already had some dancing lessons, but it seemed they were disregarding all of their previous instruction in favour of having fun by making up steps.

It was too bloody cute.

The couple left their sons to it and danced across the floor and to the end of the hallway, breaking away from all the other couples and walking out into the gardens. They walked hand in hand until they reached the pond, the water lit up thanks to the Faeries hovering around. He stood there, leaning into Orion’s side, silently admiring the peaceful picture and just enjoying the moment. It was a nice reprieve from all the people inside.

Harry turned to the side and gazed up into silver eyes. “Did you ever think your life would turn out like this?”

His husband visibly softened, a hand coming up to cup Harry’s neck. “Never. I'd resigned myself to a miserable marriage even before she poisoned me. And when you came along, I _wanted_ , but I desperately tried not to hope too deeply. Of course, you said yes, and I’ve never looked back.” He paused and smiled at Harry gently. “Call it clichéd if you must, Harry, but our relationship was and always will be a blessing to me.”

And with that, Orion bent down and pressed their lips together, Harry lifting his hands to cup Orion’s jaw and deepen the kiss, sighing into soft lips as he did. Orion was certainly right in this respect.

This was a blessing in every way possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorea is another character I've mentally assimilated into canon somehow. I also don't regret it.


	9. Another milestone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

Harry watched through the window as the twins ran around like the little maniacs they were and shook his head, turning back to the table laden with plates and plates of food.

Children's birthdays were sheer insanity.

His beloved Ri and Al were already ten, meaning that next September they’d be off to Hogwarts. Harry was both excited for them and dreading their departure. They were his _children_ ; they were supposed to stay with _him_ , not head off to boarding school for seven years. And yes, he’d done the same thing himself, but his childhood had been the very definition of ‘crap’. And as a parent, he was allowed a certain level of hypocrisy.

He continued grumbling as he levitated all the various plates into better positions so the children would be able to grab what they wanted. It wouldn’t be long until the hordes of tiny humans started acting out and demanding food, so it was best to get things sorted out now rather than later.

_Thank Merlin for elves_ , he thought with a sigh of relief. Everything was in the appropriate place, so Kreacher and his fellow elves would now be able to transport the massive table to the gardens for the children to feast as they pleased.

He wandered through the manor until he got to the gardens and swept his eyes across the extensive grounds, talking note of where everyone was. At least none of the eighteen children were missing. He took a deep breath and, with the help of a _Sonorous_ , called out across the garden.

“Lunch is ready!"

From the cheers and delighted screams assaulting his ears, each and every one of the brats had heard him. He quickly escaped the vicinity of the table lest he be run over by starving little witches and wizards, smiling at the sight the oldest kids – including his twins – helping the youngest and not leaving them behind. It was an _adorable_ sight.

“Having fun?”

He shot a small glare at Orion and rolled his eyes when the man just chuckled at him, causing everyone else at the table to laugh as well. He just sighed and sat down next to his husband, accepting Elle and settling her on his lap. Their little Princess was sat up by herself, something she was rather confident doing now, waving her stuffed Hippogriff around while gazing up at Harry with a smile on her face.

Harry leaned forward and kissed his daughter’s nose, beaming at her high-pitched giggles. He studied the girl’s face, noticing how her face seemed to look more like his as she grew. Her blonde hair had grown around her ears in a mass of riotous curls, which paired with her silver eyes made her look like a tiny angel.

He did think it was entertaining how Elle had the same colouring as Draco Malfoy in the future, but his daughter was much cuter than the ferret. And happier. He couldn’t wait for the summer holidays, having all of his children in the house together again. Perhaps they should go on holiday somewhere? _Something to talk to Orion about._

“She is a beautiful child, isn’t she?”

Harry turned to the woman across the table and smiled. “Well behaved, too.”

Ekaterina Black nee Nazimova was a beautiful woman (a blonde bombshell, if one had to describe her), as well as an intelligent one. Marius had done well in marrying such a pragmatic woman. Kat was originally from Russia before being kicked out the family for not having enough magic, just like Marius. Both of them _had_ magic, just not enough to use with a wand, so neither had been invited to attend a magical school.

Kat had given her family the metaphorical middle finger before going to live with relatives in America for about a decade, then had decided to come to England to work as an author. Harry knew they’d met while in the Leaky Cauldron, after literally walking into one another like a terrible cliché, and they’d gotten married a few years later.

Their oldest son Castor was a few months younger than the twins, and their youngest, Turais, was three years younger. Harry was quite glad that his sons were going to start Hogwarts with friends already in place.

Harry settled back in place with Elle’s back to his chest, allowing his daughter to gaze around and stare at anyone she wanted to. Not that there seemed to be any problem with that; aside from he and Orion, seated at their table were Marius and Kat, Andromeda, and Charis’ daughter, Ursula Yaxley nee Crouch. (Considering the last two had been in the same year at school, Harry wasn’t surprised at their close relationship.)

The gardens were also home to two other tables of adults, all so that they could keep an eye on the children and stop them from getting into all sorts of mischief. Well, supposedly. Harry’s table was totally focused on Elle, pulling faces and waving at her to get her to shriek with laughter. Not that he could blame them; his daughter was a gorgeous child.

Several feet away from them, Harry could see a heated discussion of sorts going on with a bizarre group split into even more bizarre sides. On one side of the table, Bellatrix was sat in between Rabastan Lestrange and Alexia Lestrange nee Crouch, Ursula’s sister and Rabastan’s sister-in-law. Facing the former Slytherins, Lucius had an angry finger pointed at Rabastan’s face, with Ted Tonks and Arthur Weasley backing him up, enthusiastic gesticulating and all.

_What in the name of Merlin is happening over there?_

Forget Arthur and Lucius sat together, they were apparently _agreeing_ with each other. Were arguing for the _same point_. Harry blinked rapidly. He couldn’t quite understand how this had come to pass.

“What’s wrong?”

He turned to Orion, and upon seeing his questioning face, nodded towards the table that _had_ to contain Lewis Carroll’s rabbit hole. There was no other explanation.

Orion pulled a face and frowned. “What are they arguing about? And are … is that Lucius, Arthur and Ted on the same side?”

At his words, everyone spun to study the insanity several feet away. Harry just shook his head and stroked Elle’s curls. _Please don’t end up like them, Princess._

“Ah, I think I understand what’s going on,” said Ursula. She looked at Andromeda. “What Quidditch team does Ted support?”

Andromeda frowned. “The Falmouth Falcons, why?”

“Because I’m fairly certain that Lucius and Arthur also support the Falcons. And I know for a fact that my sister is a massive fan of the Tutshill Tornadoes.” She sent a sly look at the brunette next to her. “What about your sister?”

Andi groaned loudly, a hand over her eyes. “Bella’s loved the Tornadoes since forever.”

Ursula nodded regally, a smug look on her face. “I think you’ll find that they’re … _discussing_ the upcoming match between the Falcons and the Tornadoes next week.”

Marius snorted into his drink. “Bloody ridiculous children.”

Harry laughed lightly and sought out the remaining table of adults, desperately hoping that they wouldn’t be as awful as the Quidditch fans. Not that he was holding out much hope. All of the adults here today were related to the House of Black in one way or another; there wasn’t much hope for mental stability.

_Oh, there they are. In some ways better, but in others, so much worse._

On the other side of the children was a table of older women who were clearly gossiping together, instilling in Harry a deep desire to avoid them at all costs. It would probably work out better for him. Honestly, anyone who thought that women were weak and posed no threat deserved to be hexed within an inch of their life. Even when Ginny had been his fangirl, he hadn’t wanted to end up on the other end of her wand.

Harry could see Callidora Longbottom, Cedrella Weasley and Charis Crouch, the three sisters looking far too smug for his blood pressure. As long as they kept their plots away from him, Harry was happy to plead ignorance. Callidora’s daughter-in-law, Augusta Longbottom nee Jones, was deep in conversation with the older witch, looking a lot happier in this time than she had during Harry’s childhood. (Considering she wasn’t a widow this time around, it wasn’t hard to see why.)

Rounding off the gossip table was Lady Mara Burke nee Macnair, and Mrs Ariel Nott nee Burke. The former was the daughter-in-law of the late Lady Belvina Burke nee Black, and Ariel was Belvina’s only daughter. Ariel also just so happened to be Lucius’ maternal grandmother. Harry had met the paternal one years ago, and he’d genuinely felt sorry for the Malfoy. His paternal relatives were such miserable gits.

Harry turned away from that table and pretended he hadn’t seen anything, resolutely ignoring Orion’s knowing smirk. He pulled out his wand and shot out some floating lights that changed colour every few seconds, grinning at Elle as she giggled and clapped, trying to capture the lights in her hands.

The sound of screaming laughter made him crane his neck to look over at the children, snorting as he saw his twins running around with Andromeda’s twin daughters on their backs. Apparently, Al and Ri were having a race, with all the other kids running after them and shouting encouragement. It was the furthest thing from ‘proper’ behaviour, and Harry laughed at the childish cheering. They might have been the future of the magical aristocracy, but they were only children at the moment.

Harry would do whatever it took to ensure his kids got the childhood he’d been denied.

He leaned into Orion’s side and slipped back into the conversation about Hogwarts reforms.

His children were happy, and that was all that really mattered.

* * *

“Dad! Papa!”

Harry braced himself, holding himself still as a taller body slammed into his, pulling him into a tight hug and lifting him off the ground.

Harry laughed as he was spun around. “Siri! Put me down, you little brat!”

Siri dropped him on the floor with a massive grin before darting to Orion, trying to do the same thing with his older father, squawking as Orion jabbed him in the ribs. Siri pulled back with a pout, rubbing his chest all the while grumbling at something being unfair or whatever he was saying. The teen stopped when the Heir Black wrapped his arms around Siri and quietly congratulated him, a proud smile on his face.

Harry smiled at the emotional sight and spun around, stifling his chuckles as the twins tried and failed to climb onto Reg’s body. His second son was mock glaring at his younger brothers, but Harry could see his lips twitching as he fought a grin. Reg ruffled Al’s hair, causing him to jump backwards like he’d been shocked. Ri laughed at his twin, only to scream a little as he received the same treatment. The boy stumbled back, glaring up at his brother with green eyes that promised Reg a world of pain. It might have been an effective expression if they hadn’t all been raised in the House of Black where such looks were rather commonplace.

He lifted his eyes and looked around the platform, rather happy at how informal everyone seemed to be at the moment. The end of the school year was always an emotional time to witness, parents overcome at the sight of their children after months of no face-to-face contact. It was especially easy to see which students were the first years; their parents were clinging to their children, overwhelmed with sentiment and relieved at being reunited once more.

Not far from the Black party, Harry could see Clitus Carrow, the cousin to Amycus and Alecto. The man was from a branch of the family and had married a half-blood, so he was barely tolerated by his House. If he hadn’t had such a well-respected job in the Ministry, there was no doubt he would have been disinherited. The man currently had his daughter Marta wrapped in a tight embrace, the cheerful girl babbling about her year so far, even if her words were muffled by her father’s chest. If there was any proof the Slytherins did indeed have a heart, this would be it.

A few feet away from the Carrows was Rodolphus Lestrange. Harry didn’t like the man one bit, but he didn’t appear to be a murderous, torturing bastard this time around, at least. He was stood with his wife Alexia, one hand warmly squeezing his son’s shoulder, a proud glint in his eyes. He seemed to be a good father, even if his personality left much to be desired. The good thing was that Alexia was the complete opposite of a passive woman, having been raised by her Black mother. If Rodolphus ever did anything untoward to Alexia or their three children, she would retaliate with interest. Harry thought she was a riot.

“Papa?”

He blinked at the tug on his sleeve, turning to see the twins peering up at him. Sort of. The little shits were already 5’. He sighed internally. They were going to be massive by the time they’d finished growing.

“Yes?” he asked with a smile, the expression widening as two sets of green eyes rolled exaggeratedly.

“It’s time to go home, Papa!” said Ri emphatically.

Al nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and we’re going to get cake after!”

“It’s nice to know you’ve got your priorities straight,” he replied dryly.

Orion chuckled lowly and turned to the side, calling out for their oldest sons. “Sirius! Regulus! Finish saying goodbye to your friends, we’re going home!”

Siri was wrapped around Marlene where they were stood with their friends, though thankfully he wasn’t doing anything that Harry didn’t want to see. Reg was in the middle of yet another spat with James, the latter grinning at him mockingly. Well, he was until Lily decided to jab him in the waist, making the taller teen shriek like a girl and jump a foot in the air. Harry smirked at the sight; life would have interesting if he’d been raised by that woman.

Their older sons quickly bade their friends farewell, Siri pressing a quick kiss to Marlene’s cheek like a gentleman – it _was_ rather adorable – and walking back over to their family.

Harry wrapped an arm around Siri’s waist, feeling warm from the happy grin he got in return. “Well, you’re no longer a student. How does it feel?”

Siri tilted his head to the side. “It’s definitely weird, but it’s not like I don’t have any plans going forward.”

“Aside from Marlene?”

“Papa,” his son groaned with a blush. Harry smirked. _I love being a parent_. “You know what I mean.”

“Are you finally going to tell us what you’re really doing?” Harry asked.

“Soon. First, it's cake time!”

Those words caused the twins to cheer in front of the fireplaces, and even Reg grinned at the prospect of gorging himself on sugary goodness. Orion huffed quietly, but Harry caught the amused glint in his silver eyes and smiled, feeling giddy at being surrounded by his family, the people he loved most in the world. All they needed now was to go home and pick up Elle, then they’d be complete.

He was happy.

Harry saw his children through the floo, waiting for the twins to go after Siri and Reg before peering up at Orion with a bright smile. “Our children are growing up.”

“Thanks to you.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Don’t discount your part, Orion. Our sons idolise you, you know. They want to grow and be just as respectable as you.”

“Perhaps,” his husband murmured, a gentle look in his eyes as he looked at Harry. “But they also want to be loving and strong like you. If you hadn’t appeared when you did, our lives would have been ruined.

“You saved us all.”

Harry blushed furiously, all the while swallowing the lump in his throat. _This man_ … Orion Black was such an incredible man; he was intelligent, willing to do whatever for their children’s happiness, and he was so loving that even now Harry felt his breath catch when he thought of his husband.

Never had he ever thought that he’d be this lucky.

Harry cleared his throat and took Orion’s hand, smiling softly up at the man he loved with all his heart.

“Let’s go home, Husband.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Husband.”

Harry stepped forward into the fireplace, very much aware of the taller body just behind him.

It was time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Orion's relationship is sappy and cavity-inducing, and I love it.


	10. Epilogue: Time continues forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'

“Bloody little shit. Who does he think he is?”

Harry continued grumbling to himself as he flicked through the new medical journal, seeing but not really registering any of the words on the pages. He was far too worked up to read at the moment, having more pressing problems than taking in whatever article was in front of him.

The bed dipped next to him and he heard a deep chuckle in his ear. “You’re not still moaning, are you?”

Harry snorted. “That brat should be lucky that’s _all_ I’m doing.”

Orion laughed quietly and settled against the headboard next to him, wrapping an arm around Harry’s shoulders and squeezing lightly. He sighed and put the journal on his bedside table, allowing himself to be pulled into his husband’s warm chest. He snuggled deeper and closed his eyes, trying to banish his vaguely murderous thoughts.

As if he could hear his thoughts, Orion started speaking. “Harry, you do realise that Elle is spectacularly stubborn, don’t you? It's not as if anyone could ever manipulate her into anything she didn’t want to do, including this.”

“That’s not the point! It’s not _Elle_ that’s the problem, it’s that little cretin who looks smug every single bloody time people mention tomorrow!”

“Have you considered that there might be some innocent pride mixed in there as well?” Orion asked dryly. “Not to mention that you need to remember the teenage hormones. Merlin knows I’m grateful he’s kept his hands to himself when in our vicinity.”

Harry clicked his tongue in irritation. “He’s still a brat.” The smaller man sighed heavily, knowing full well that there was no way for him to win in this situation, _especially_ as his beloved daughter was ecstatic with her plans. Harry mourned the innocent baby from all those years ago.

“Why do all our children persist in getting married as soon as possible after school?”

Orion snorted. “You know as well as I do that our society is focused on bloodlines and maintaining their continuity. Even if prejudice has lessened in the past few decades, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t concerned with future generations of their Houses.”

“Yes, but you would’ve thought that more parents allowing their children to marry for love would’ve led to them marrying later, not as soon as physically possible.”

“Not necessarily,” Orion countered. “It might be that some of the children are worried about the offer being rescinded, so they wed to prevent that. And again, teenage hormones are also to blame here,” Orion added with a small chuckle.

Harry hummed. “I guess. I suppose learning about compatible magics in school helps, too. Merlin knows that would have helped me avoid certain people when I was younger.”

“At least you ended up here in the end.”

Harry pulled his head back and gazed up at Orion, leaning up to press their lips together. He cupped Orion’s jaw in one hand, the other gripping his husband’s pyjama top tightly as they lost themselves in the kiss. It was entirely chaste, but that was more than enough to sate Harry’s desires right now. It had been a long day.

The couple disengaged and Harry laid his head on the taller man’s chest, humming slightly as Orion carded his fingers through Harry’s hair, scraping his scalp lightly with his nails. It was a wonderful sensation, one that he’d never tire of. He hadn’t so far.

Harry smiled to himself, still somewhat disbelieving of the direction his life had taken after the war. Next year, he’ll have been in the past for thirty years. He married Orion twenty-seven years ago, taking on Siri and Reg as his own, and going on to give birth to three other children himself.

Time certainly flew by when you weren’t paying attention.

His oldest two had married and gone on to have children themselves years ago, having both married as soon as they graduated. Essentially giving Harry minor heart attacks at the thought of his children giving him grandchildren, but that ship had sailed years ago. Elle was the only one who hadn’t given him any grandchildren yet, but he knew damn well that would change soon. _Stubborn girl._

Ri and Al had at least given Harry a bit of a reprieve by waiting until they were in their mid-twenties before procreating, though that hadn’t stopped them from marrying their significant others as soon as they physically could. Whether that had been evolving their friendship into something more as working adults, or waiting for their partner to graduate so they weren’t marrying a school student. (Which sounded bad, Harry would admit, but in that particular case, the age gap was only a few years. Thankfully, for his sanity.)

The fact that he currently had eight grandchildren, and would likely have several more in the future, was a bewildering thought, but Harry had long since found a giddy excitement in the situation. He'd always wanted a big family as a child, and he’d eventually gotten his wish. It might have taken some truly bizarre turns to get to where he is, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it in any way.

Harry sighed once more. “I just can’t believe that Elle ended up with _him_ of all people.”

“At least they’re not that closely related, even if they’re both Blacks,” Orion said dryly.

He groaned into Orion’s chest at the thought, mourning the idea of yet another of his children ending up with someone they shared blood with. He supposed that none of them had married anyone closer than a third cousin, but out of all of the people in the world, they just _had_ to choose someone who could be found on their own family tree.

Siri and Reg were the only two to have wed someone they didn’t share blood with, but Harry couldn’t exactly say anything about his other children’s partners. He was never going to be someone to strictly dictate what his kids could or couldn’t do, and seeing them so happy and vibrant had put a stop to any of his recriminations.

His children were happy and in love. How could he ever condemn that?

 _I guess that’s the same with Elle_. He _would_ accept her marriage, begrudging though his thoughts might be. He couldn’t help it; his daughter was his youngest child, and as such she’d been more than a little doted on as she grew up. Siri had spoiled her rotten with gifts, she’d been tutored by Reg in whatever she wanted to know (whether it was age-appropriate or not), and the twins had delighted in travelling the world with their only sister, disappearing with her at least a few times a year.

(At least he and Orion had been reasonable with their affection. Mostly. So what if Elle’s Sorting present had been a several thousand Galleon broom with her name engraved on it? That didn’t prove anything.)

Orion shifted underneath him. “At least Ant respects Elle and her choices. That's more than some men.”

Harry snorted at his husband’s words. “ _Please_. As if she would have ever accepted some idiot who didn’t see her as an equal. Anyone like that would have been cursed before he could even ask her out.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already done that in the past.”

“Considering how many friends she’s got, I don’t doubt they’ve helped her cover up any dubious actions at least once,” Harry added slyly. He was beyond proud of his daughter’s magical repertoire.

“True. Still, I do understand your perspective. Our daughter marrying Alphard’s son is strange in so many ways. Since they announced their engagement, Alphard’s been grinning like he’s won some bet that only he knows about.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me. Your cousin’s an idiot.”

Orion laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest and vibrating against Harry’s face. It was a calming sound, knowing that your spouse was alive and happy, right there with you. Harry lifted his head once more and studied Orion’s face. For a man of nearly seventy, Orion Black was still an _extraordinarily_ handsome man. He had small crow's-feet at the corners of his eyes, a few laugh lines around his mouth, and some light creases on his forehead. The biggest difference was Orion having finally grown a beard, closely cropped to his face and styled meticulously to emphasise his sharp jaw. A few strands of silver at his husband’s temples were the only other indication to the passage of time.

It also created a dignified aura that was incredibly attractive to Harry. The bruises on his neck could attest to that.

Harry hadn’t been immune to ageing, either. He hadn’t gone grey at all (yet), but his face was now home to a few wrinkles, mostly laugh lines and near his eyes, but that seemed to be the extent of him growing older. He would have experimented with his facial hair if it weren’t for the fact that he’d never been able to grow much of it anyway. It had looked _awful_ whenever he tried. Paired with the fact that his facial structure was more reminiscent of his mother’s, it wouldn’t have suited him much, either. He had grown his hair out even more, though. It now laid nearly straight halfway down his back. Harry had thought it was perhaps too feminine, but seeing how Orion’s eyes had darkened upon gazing at it had put paid to those thoughts in record time. (His husband was _very_ appreciative of Harry’s long hair, much to the benefit of their physical relationship.)

What a lucky man he was.

Harry leaned forward to press a fleeting kiss to Orion’s lips before laying back on the taller man’s chest, shifting until he was fully comfortable. “We should probably go to sleep now, shouldn’t we?”

“If you don’t want Elle bitching at us for nearly falling asleep during her wedding, then yes.”

He laughed quietly, easily picturing his spirited daughter ripping into the two of them, even if it were in the middle of her saying her vows. She was quite the feisty girl.

Harry closed his eyes and let himself drift off, thoughts of his family swirling around in his head. His husband, five children, and his only daughter’s upcoming wedding.

Tomorrow was going to be amazing.

* * *

Harry knocked on the door, rocking back on his heels while he waited for a response.

“Come in!”

He opened the door and stepped in, taking note of the cluttered mess around the room. Clothes and hair-care products were scattered across the tables, make-up on the dressing table with the mirror, and the bouquets carefully placed on the sofa across the room.

His daughter’s bridesmaids looked lovely in their floor-length violet gowns; the dresses would have appeared simple if it weren’t for the embroidered straps over their shoulders. Closest to him was Thalia, Dorea’s only daughter, checking her earrings in the mirror next to her. The young woman had her hair back in a simple bun, a few sprigs of lavender adorning one side of her head. Her silver eyes were narrowed as she surveyed her appearance; Harry didn’t think she had anything to worry about, and he was certain that Thalia’s girlfriend wouldn’t be able to take her eyes off the Potter.

Stood next to Thalia was Meissa, the redhead trying to wrestle a few of her curls back into the clips in her hair. Her hair wasn’t quite as stubborn as Elle’s, but the curls certainly had a mind of their own. She was chewing her bottom lip as she stared at her reflection, trying to figure out if the plaits on her head looked good. He thought she was a beautiful girl. Like Thalia, Meissa had clearly inherited her facial structure from her Black mother, if not the colouring. Her red hair was certainly striking, though.

“You two are looking especially lovely.”

The girls – or women as they really were, now that they’d left school – turned as one, grinning at him in unison.

“Uncle Harry!”

He smiled at his nieces and moved forward. “Are you nearly ready?”

“We’re done,” Thalia answered. “We’re just waiting for Ella.”

Meissa smirked. “She went to face a losing battle with her hair. It won’t stay put.”

“What do you –”

Harry cut off and stilled, his breath catching where he stood. The door at the other end of the room was open, and Elle was stood in the doorway, the sunlight streaming in through the windows to illuminate his baby girl.

His daughter was stood in a pure white dress that brushed the floor, beautiful in its simplicity. The silky material fell around Elle’s slim figure without constricting her, the only form-fitting part being the waist. A wide band wrapped around her midsection, gold threads criss-crossing around her from above her hips to just below her bust. The dress continued over her chest in a modest neckline, the two wide straps adorned with more gold just before they reached her shoulders.

As if the dress wasn’t enough to make Elle look like the walking personification of an angel, the young woman’s riotous curls had been wrestled into a thick plait that fell down her back, several tiny flowers and vines woven down the hair and around the sides of her head. Several roses had been clipped at the back of her head, and a few loose strands of hair around Elle’s face completed the look.

 _Merlin_ , his daughter was gorgeous.

Harry paid no attention to how Thalia and Meissa slipped out to give the two of them some privacy, he was entirely focused on how his beautiful daughter was beaming a shy smile at him, her eyelashes fluttering as her gaze kept escaping his. It was an odd sight to see his headstrong daughter so demure, yet he couldn’t deny that the red blush on her cheeks was an endearing sight.

He stepped forward and enveloped his daughter into his arms, gently kissing her forehead so he didn’t mess with her make-up. Not that Elle needed any, anyway. His youngest child was a beautiful girl, always had been, so she didn’t need to cover her face in cosmetics. Not that he’d criticise her if she wanted to wear any. It was _her_ choice. As long as she did it for herself, Harry would happily encourage Elle’s experimentation.

The father of five pulled back and stared at Elle’s face, taking note of what she’d done today. There was a thin line of black around her eyes, ending in little flicks at the end that emphasised the silver tone to her eyes. Harry could spot a faint hint of blush on her cheeks, and his daughter’s lips were a softer pink than usual, but that was about it. She was done, and ready to get married.

If he didn’t get a hold of himself, he was going to start crying. _That_ wouldn’t be an attractive sight.

He grinned at the blonde girl. “I don’t think anyone can deny you make an extraordinarily beautiful bride.”

Elle blushed once more but returned his grin. “Thanks, Papa.” Her expression morphed into the smirk he was far more familiar with. “And you look quite happy right now. Does that mean you’ve finally accepted Ant as your son-in-law?”

“He’s still got time to mess up,” Harry replied flatly. He held his blank face for a few seconds before he started laughing, getting louder when his daughter rolled her eyes. “To be fair, it’s not really my fault, you know? Aside from being my only daughter, you’re the only one of your siblings to be pursued by their significant other rather than be the pursuer.”

Elle frowned lightly. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Siri clearly went after Marl, and while Ali showed interest first, Reg was more than forthright on how he wanted their relationship to go. Ri was … _proactive_ when it came to getting the man he wanted, and Al went full-on romantic to woo Thee. They were the ones who went ahead with their plans for romance. _You_ were asked and courted.”

“It’s not like I was passive, Papa,” Elle pouted, rolling her eyes once more. “I agreed to the courting because I _liked_ Ant, not because I felt obligated to.”

“I’m well aware,” Harry said dryly. “I feel sorry for whatever poor sods you said no to. They can’t have had a great time.”

His daughter blinked big silver eyes innocently. “I don’t know what you mean, Papa.” _That look does_ not _work._

“I’m sure you don’t.”

Whatever his snarky youngest child was going to say was cut off when the door opened behind them. The father and daughter duo turned as one to see Orion stride into the room, looking rather resplendent in his silk robes that were a purple so dark they were almost black. The future Lord Black had his hair tied back with a silver band, the greying strands of hair made more obvious in this style. His shoulders filled out the robes well, his husband having lost barely any of his musculature over the course of their marriage.

(He had to remind himself that standing next to their daughter was _not_ the place to mentally undress his husband.)

Harry watched Orion stop short, smiling as the taller man’s eyes visibly softened as they took in the vision that was their only daughter. His husband walked over to Elle and hugged her tightly, the short girl practically being swallowed in her father’s arms. (Considering Elle was the same 5’5” as Harry, he could sympathise with being hugged by a 6’4” giant of a man. It was gloriously warm, though.)

Orion bent down to press a kiss to their daughter’s wild curls, whispering something in her ear that had Elle melting into their embrace even further. Orion remained wrapped around the blonde girl for a few minutes before stepping back and clearing his throat, a proud smile on his aristocratic face as he gazed at Elle. Harry could relate to the emotion; he was beyond proud of the woman that Elle was becoming before their very eyes.

He felt very bittersweet right now.

“It’s time for the ceremony to start,” Orion said quietly. “Are you ready to head out?”

Elle took a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly and carefully, visibly relaxing after a few minutes of breathing exercises. She walked over to the sofa and grabbed her bouquet, making sure the arrangement still looked good and turned back to her parents. The young woman nodded at them resolutely.

“I’m ready.”

The party of three made their way out of the room, both of Elle’s arms linked with one each of Harry and Orion. He could see his daughter look visibly nervous, but also like she was ready for anything. _A proper Gryffindor, this one._ He grinned.

“Just think, Elle. If Ant messes up at any time, you can hex him to your heart’s content.”

Orion snorted, but Elle burst out laughing, the light-hearted sound making Harry smile even wider. That was what he wanted to hear. His daughter was about to do something that she truly wanted to do, something that was going to make her happy. She didn’t need to get lost in her own thoughts, needlessly imagining things that were making her panic.

Elle was always supposed to have a smile on her face.

They finally met up with Thalia and Meissa in the gardens, the two girls leading them across the grounds to where everyone else was.

“Well, I guess it’s time to get married.”

Harry chuckled under his breath at Elle’s slightly bewildered tone, grinning at the smirk on Orion’s face.

_Time to get to it._

* * *

He watched as Elle shrieked loudly, screaming obscenities at Ant spinning her in the air, and tried not to laugh hysterically at her furious expression.

His daughter was always far more entertaining when her temper made an appearance.

Harry settled back into his chair, happily accepting his youngest grandchild from Ri while his son went to look for his other half. The infant was cheerfully babbling at him, waving his little arms around as he stared at Harry. Ri’s only child – so far – had unfortunately inherited Harry’s hair, but his bright blue eyes and face were from his other father.

Said man was off somewhere trying to wrangle his boisterous siblings, and Harry wished him luck. They were certainly a rowdy lot. He conjured a stuffed Abraxan and held it out for little Hadrian, grinning as the boy shrieked excitedly and eagerly grabbed the toy, waving it around all over the place for his own simple amusement. He was a happy kid.

Not that Harry expected otherwise from the combination of his son and Bill Weasley.

He could still remember the moment his son admitted to having feelings for Bill. To say he’d been a little blind sighted would be a massive understatement. It hadn’t really helped seeing as Ri had been in his last year at Hogwarts, and Bill had been a _fourth year_ at the time. He could recall a vague urge to hex his own son at his admission. Thankfully for everyone – and Harry’s continued sanity – Ri had quickly added that he intended to court the younger teen properly, and that he was very much in favour in waiting for a deeper relationship until Bill had graduated. _Imminent heart attack averted._

They’d been married for six years already, and Harry could admit he still got some perverse glee at the irked look on Molly’s face whenever someone brought up the fact that her oldest child had shed his last name to become a Peverell. Did that make him a bad person? Of course not. He simply enjoyed partaking in Schadenfreude once in a while.

“Granddad Harry!”

He turned in his seat, coming face-to-face with the very picture of his old age. Siri’s sons, the eldest of whom was _fifteen_ already, were smiling widely at him as they brought him some food. _Good kids, even if they’re cheeky brats_. Not that he’d ever expected otherwise of his oldest son’s children. Between Siri and Marl, they’d been doomed from conception.

The soon-to-be fifth year Eridanus – and _what_ had they been thinking with his first grandchild’s name? He still felt sorry for the teen – and twelve-year-old Perseus were happily gorging themselves on a veritable manner of finger sandwiches as they seated themselves to his left. _The appetite of young boys never fails to amaze me._

He eyed the two carefully. “Do I even want to know what you’re escaping?”

Perseus blinked innocently. “What do you mean, Granddad?”

“I’m old, not stupid,” Harry deadpanned.

Eridanus snorted into his food, unfortunately inhaling at the wrong time and starting a coughing fit. Harry smirked at the sight. _Serves you right, you little shit._

“I think you’ll find that the hiding has something to do with the mysterious addition of Babbling Beverage to the Elven wine.”

The voice from behind Harry made the boys pale rapidly, but Harry just kept a blank face, even if he wanted to start laughing hysterically. _These two … Will they ever learn?_

“Have you fixed the situation, Reg?”

The man in his thirties walked around him and settled in the adjacent seat, briefly messing Hadrian’s hair before reclining back. “Unfortunately, all of the bottles have been mixed up, and I can’t figure out which ones have been affected.”

Harry forced a frown on his face. “I see. Has anyone imbibed any yet?”

“Not that I can see, but it shan’t be long,” Reg replied seriously. _Mostly_. “I can’t imagine that Lords Burke and Rosier will be too pleased, though. They’re already in a mood from their bill failing.”

The green-eyed man noticed his grandsons look even more panicked, hastily abandoning their food before they silently hightailed it away to somewhere hidden. Harry waited until the boys were well out of earshot before he started laughing loudly, grinning at Reg’s evil smirk. Even Hadrian was giggling and clapping happily, making Harry smile softly at the infant.

“That was evil, Reg.”

“They deserved it.”

Harry eyed his second son. “Do we actually have anything to worry about?”

“Of course not,” Reg said with a grin. “Our elves vanished the tainted bottles as soon as it happened. Not to mention that neither Alfred Burke nor Evan Rosier even _like_ Elven wine. They're quite content with decimating the stocks of whiskey with their wives.”

He shook his head with a smile. “You have an awful personality.”

“Considering I was raised by you and Dad, can you blame me?”

Harry remained silent. _No point in incriminating myself further._

He gazed around the raucous wedding reception and caught sight of three heads weaving in and out of the guests, peering around as if looking for someone.

Harry nodded in their direction. “I think your children are lost.”

Reg spun in his seat and called the three over, summoning some extra chairs for the quiet table.

“Papa, Granddad.”

His second son had had three children with Ali, and all of them were unusually quiet and polite compared to Siri’s boys. Not that it was that surprising. Reg and Ali were a quietly content couple, therefore it would have been stranger for them to produce any truly rambunctious children.

Aquila and Corvus were the same age as Eridanus and Perseus, respectively. Harry might have suffered a slight meltdown at his second son ending up pregnant at eighteen. Just a _little_ one. (In his defence, his own baby had been defiled; he’d been perfectly justified in his response, no matter _what_ Orion had said at the time.)

The two boys were Blacks through and through, only their younger sister having any characteristics from their Potter heritage. Nine-year-old Vega was a proper little lady, quiet and polite in every way possible. Her blue-green eyes were ridiculously cute paired with her black curls, and she was as adorable as a china doll. (Except for whenever Harry found her nose-deep in advanced battle magic books. Harry couldn’t _wait_ to teach her to duel. He could tell she was going to be a fun little spitfire.)

Reg called for some food for his children, quietly engaging them in conversation about their schooling. It was a heart-warming scene, watching the children soak up the attention from their father, silently preening at Reg’s praise. It was something Reg used to do, too. Harry smiled at the family tableau. _Thank Merlin that Ali realised his feelings all those years ago._

“Bloody hell, that was a nightmare.”

“I take it that your siblings gave you a spot a trouble,” Harry asked lightly, smirking ever so slightly at Bill’s harassed look.

The redhead shot him a glare, but rolled his eyes at Harry’s unrepentant face and quickly took his son back. The happy baby cooed at his father, babbling even louder as Ri reappeared and sat next to Bill. Hadrian started laughing and waving his toy at his parents, clearly proud of his acquisition. It was adorable.

Bill grinned down at his only child even as he carried on talking with Harry. “Charlie’s trying to convince Aster to have another kid already even though she hasn’t given birth yet, Percy’s panicking while trying to figure out how to propose to his girlfriend, the twins are trying to prank Lord Malfoy, and Ron accidentally insulted Ginny, so he’s running for his life while she’s trying to castrate him with a butter knife.”

Harry took a sip of water to distract him from the hysterical laughter threatening to break forth. _That sounds about right for Gin. Even as a young girl, she’s a menace. And Ron never learns, does he?_

“Hey, guys!”

 _Thank Merlin for magic_ , he thought as the table grew to accommodate more of their family. Al sat opposite Harry with his wife, their twins happily sat on their laps. Al wrapped an arm around Thee’s shoulders, Andromeda’s younger daughter smiling tiredly at her sons. Seeing as their magic was playing up once more, Harry wasn’t surprised with his daughter-in-law's expression.

In this world, instead of giving birth to Tonks, Andromeda had had twin girls. Like Tonks, both were Metamorphmagi, with all the fun and games that came with the ability. Thankfully, the woman had bestowed more palatable names on her daughters. Harry still didn’t know how she’d decided that ‘Nymphadora’ was acceptable in any way.

Though the girls weren’t Tonks, just like the cheerful Auror from Harry’s childhood, they’d also passed on their abilities to their children. Harry’s twin grandsons were currently sporting purple and green hair, the unfortunate combination only made worse by their yellow eyes. They were a few months older than Hadrian, but Hector and Myles weren’t any better at controlling their magic. Hence their disastrous colouring.

Al seemed to think it was funny, but Harry was well aware that both of his twins had inherited Harry and Orion’s sarcasm. Well, truly _all_ of their children had a healthy amount of snark, but he found it far too funny to criticise. It was entertaining seeing his children sass people that annoyed them. Perhaps him rewarding them with baked goods hadn’t exactly been the most _appropriate_ response to seeing it in person, but his kids had turned out well in the end. More or less.

Harry quietly asked the elves for some coffee, pushing it across to Thee when it appeared. “Go ahead. I can sympathise.”

The young woman smiled gratefully at him, her silver eyes lighting up at the sight of caffeine. Harry remembered having twins; ‘exhausting’ didn’t begin to describe his state all those years ago. Not that it hadn’t been rewarding in many ways, but his energy had certainly needed several boosts while caring for one-year-old twins.

She took a deep sip and hummed, sighing happily as Al wrangled the two infants into high chairs to their displeasure. Harry stifled a snort at the whining sounds from the boys, smirking at Al’s disgruntled face. _Ah, karma is a wonderful thing._

He looked around the table, feeling enormously blessed at the sight of so many of his family with him. Reg and Ali – who had apparently silently appeared in the past few minutes – were happily discussing elective classes with their children, Ri and Bill were fawning over a giggling Hadrian, and Al was trying – and mostly succeeding – to feed the twins, all the while Thee remained blissfully ignorant to anything else as she slipped into caffeinated heaven.

_What a brilliant family I have._

“I can’t _believe_ you did that!”

“I can’t believe you got caught.”

“Sirius! That is _not_ the point.”

“Err, I mean, that was a stupid thing to do. Don't do it again.”

“Merlin, could you _sound_ any more insincere?”

 _I guess they couldn’t escape capture forever_. Harry smirked as Marlene marched her sheepish sons to the empty seats next to Thee, the boys looking vaguely terrified of their mother but quite proud of their achievements. The typical expression for a couple of teenagers who’d succeeded in pulling off a difficult prank.

Siri dropped into the seat next to Harry and grinned at him, clearly finding as much amusement in the situation as Harry did. He could admit that they were both more than a little lax when it came to their children doing something they weren’t supposed to. (Harry could still remember when the twins had ‘accidentally’ turned Snape’s hair pink, their magic so strong that it hadn’t faded for a week. He'd brought them _so_ many toys after that.)

His oldest got drawn into a bickering argument with his wife as their sons started casting small illusions for the giggling twins. Harry ignored the blatant use of underage magic – like his children hadn’t done the same; besides, they weren’t hurting anyone – and Harry smiled to himself, relaxing in his chair.

He grinned at the chair adjacent to his moving as close as possible, his husband seating himself and wrapping an arm around Harry’s shoulders. Orion was gazing at their family with pride on his aristocratic face, and Harry felt beyond warm at how lucky he was.

Before time travelling, he’d been under the impression that Orion Black must have been a cruel and cold bastard, a man that didn’t deserve the title of ‘father’. He'd been so sure in his judgement, _convinced_ because of Sirius’ awful childhood. His godfather might have been somewhat of a drama queen with his own biases, but his stories had clearly held a few objective facts that couldn’t be refuted. Orion Black hadn’t been a good man.

Ending up in the past had shown him that even objective facts could be subjective in their own way. Sirius hadn’t been lying to Harry, and he’d recounted events as he’d known. He hadn’t been _wrong_ , he’d just been unaware of the true causes of such actions. His godfather had never gotten to know the truth, had never come face-to-face with the true depths of his father. It was a sad thought.

To know that he’d facilitated such a large change was astounding. Harry had allowed Orion to fully bond with his sons before their relationship could be irreparably destroyed, had helped their bond soothe over the wounds from Walburga’s actions. Orion as a father had been an _amazing_ thing to witness, which was one of the biggest things that had caused Harry to give the man a chance.

It was difficult to turn down a man who was so loving towards his children, and _would_ be towards any more in the future.

“Papa! Dad!”

Harry turned in his seat to grin at his daughter half-stumbling towards him. Elle's face was flushed a deep red, more than a few blonde curls had escaped her plait and were happily defying gravity, the flowers in her hair were tilted, and his daughter was breathing heavily. The most important part of her appearance was that she was sporting an enormous grin, beaming from ear-to-ear as she walked over. Her silver eyes were sparkling with glee, a vast improvement from the nervous set earlier in the day.

She almost tripped as she made her way towards her parents, but Harry thought it unlikely that Elle was drunk. The young woman had never been much of a fan of alcohol – unlike her brothers – so it was probably the ambience of the reception. His daughter had been dancing and giddily socialising for hours at this point. She was probably high on the atmosphere.

Elle stood behind Harry and Orion and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around the couple with her head resting just between theirs. She grinned and laughed a little, poking her tongue out at Siri who was making faces at her. His children would always be little kids in some ways.

“It’s nearly time for me to head off, you know?”

Harry smiled widely at his daughter’s visible excitement, even if he was _resolutely ignoring_ the implications of his youngest child going off on her honeymoon and her wedding night. _Nope. Not going there. I will_ not _think about that horror, or else I might just kill Ant right here and now_. Cathartic it might be, Harry had a feeling that Elle wouldn’t appreciate ending up as a widow on the very day of her wedding.

A quick glance at Orion told him that his husband was having similar thoughts, and was just as happy to pretend that Elle was simply going on holiday as he was. His sons were smirking to themselves, and he had a feeling that the four of them had collectively given Ant a horrendous shovel talk once again. He knew that they’d put the fear of Hell in Ant when he’d originally showed interest in Elle, _and_ once more after the proposal, but it seemed that his sons very much enjoyed terrorising their newest brother-in-law in a spectacularly enthusiastic fashion.

(He would have condemned them if he hadn’t alluded to knowing several dozen ways of poisoning someone untraceably when Ant asked for his blessing. The less said about Orion’s threats, the better.)

All of their family got up and joined the rest of the guests, the crowd milling around while the married couple darted off to quickly get changed. Harry smirked as Lucretia and Cassiopeia casually started directing the elves of Black Manor to collect any unopened bottles of alcohol and send them back to their rooms. What shameless women.

He swept his eyes around the room, slightly surprised that he couldn’t see any obvious fights or arguments amongst the incredibly opinionated guests. Combining the larger House of Black with other political giants, all of whom were adamant that their perspective was the correct one, was usually a signal for one conflict or another to start. _I wonder if there was something in the food to facilitate calmness._

Clapping and cheering broke out in the crowd, a few individuals shooting ribbons and glitter out of their wands as Elle and Ant reappeared on the grounds. His daughter had substituted her wedding dress for a blue summer dress, Ant in a casual shirt and some beige trousers. Elle was beaming at everyone, a slight red to her cheeks that was rather adorable.

The young couple quickly broke up, Ant jumping on his parents and trying to hug them to death. Or put Alphard in a headlock, he wasn’t really sure. Elle made her way over to them and laughed as she was enveloped in a hug between Harry and Orion, giggling even more as her brothers threw in vaguely inappropriate comments that Harry _could not hear._

She pulled back and looked at both of them with a smile. “I guess it’s time to go. Do I get to know where we’re going yet?”

Orion smirked down at the blonde. “You’ll know when you take the Portkey.”

“That’s not fair, Dad,” she pouted, though the glint in her eyes said she found the situation rather funny. She stepped back and looked back and forth between them, smiling softly.

“I’ll see you in a few months, Dad, Papa.”

And with that, Elle almost bounded over to her husband and easily took his hand, giving Harry the slightest lump in his throat when he saw how they looked at each other. They were very much in love. _She'll be alright_ , he thought as he leaned against Orion’s side.

Elle and Ant grabbed their Portkey and turned to wave at everyone, keeping up the motion even as the magic activated and they spun away, being taken to the first destination of their honeymoon. Harry hoped she enjoyed Hanoi.

He stood there in silence as the crowd dispersed, some drifting back to the dancefloor, others migrating towards the food tables, and a few daring individuals trying to sneak some alcohol despite the disapproving glares from their significant others.

Harry could see his four sons wandering around with their children, Ri and Al happily rocking their children as the infants started dropping off into sleep. His older grandchildren had grouped together and were eagerly waving over their various friends, starting to discuss something that elicited more than a couple of smirks. Harry was happy to feign ignorance.

“Do you want to head home?”

He looked up at Orion, lips twitching into a smirk at his husband’s darker eyes. “I’m not sure I know what you’re referring to, Husband.”

Orion stepped even closer, gazing down into Harry’s eyes. “I was referring to the fact that, with Elle gone, we don’t have any children in the house anymore. Once we’re home, I can easily lock down the wards for everyone else. Complete and utter _privacy_.”

Harry grinned wickedly. “It’s certainly been a while since we’ve had an empty house. It would be a shame to not take advantage of it, wouldn’t it?”

His husband smirked ever so slightly and took Harry’s hand, gently squeezing it as he led them away from the larger crowd. It wasn’t as if they needed to say goodbye to their children, even if it would likely be hilarious to see their horrified faces at the prospect of their parents having a sex life. Perhaps Harry was something of an arsehole, but all of the times their kids had acted traumatised at the mere _idea_ of their physical relationship were still some of the most entertaining things he’d ever seen.

They slipped around one of the larger hedges and stopped, Harry standing up on his tip toes to press a kiss to Orion’s lips, humming lowly as his husband decided that he wasn’t interested in keeping their embrace chaste. The kiss was slow, but passion wasn’t lacking, and Harry sighed at the brief sensation of a warm tongue on his lips. Harry slid a hand into Orion’s hair and pulled him closer, feeling his heart thud at their closeness.

Orion pulled back with clear reluctance, breathing a little heavily. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be in the comfort of our own home before we carry on. I don’t particularly want to be interrupted right now.”

“I suppose,” Harry smirked. “After you, Heir Black.”

The taller man snorted, eyes glinting with amusement. “You’re awful.”

Orion then wrapped his arms around Harry, holding him securely before twisting his magic and Apparating the two of them back to London, and to a long night to themselves.

Harry was looking forward to it.

* * *

Harry was making himself a cup of tea when he heard the muffled curse from behind him. He grinned to himself before he forced an innocent look on his face and turned around, tilting his head to the side.

“Is there something wrong, Orion?”

Said man mock glared at him, even as his eyes darkened with some _wonderful_ promises that had Harry preen inwardly. It was empowering knowing that he _still_ had the ability to affect the older man so effortlessly. The fact that their home was still empty of all occupants except the two of them made it _much_ easier to accept that gratification.

Harry wouldn’t deny that he’d done this deliberately. He was dressed solely in one of Orion’s shirts, the bottom ending halfway down his thighs. He'd left a few buttons open at the top to display his sharp collarbones and lightly toned chest, knowing as he did how his husband appreciated such a sight. The sleeves were rolled up displaying his forearms for the same reason, and Harry had finished the look by tying his hair back in a messy bun that sat high on his head.

(He might be a teasing bastard, but it wasn’t as if he wasn’t going to follow through on the silent implications. Orion wasn’t the only one currently enjoying the silent house.)

Orion walked over to Harry and crowded him against the counter, hands on either side of Harry’s body and effectively preventing him from escaping. Not that he would try; he wasn’t _stupid_. Harry briefly mourned the fact that Orion was still wearing his pyjamas, but hopefully he could rectify that situation soon.

The smaller man reached to the side to place his tea down before wrapping his arms around Orion’s neck, lazily arching his body up into his husband’s. Harry grinned at the knowledge that his other half was _clearly_ appreciating their position. He held Orion’s neck tighter as the man lifted him onto the side, stepping closer between Harry’s spread legs.

“You’re going to kill me one day, aren’t you?”

“Hmm, but what a way to go.”

Orion snorted and leaned forward, his intentions rather clear if the way he was eyeing Harry’s lips was any indication. A loud crack made them snap back to reality and Harry swore under his breath, vaguely wondering if he could get away with cursing whoever had dared to interrupt them. The slightly murderous look in Orion’s eyes said he was on the same page.

“Master Orion, Master Harry, Grimmauld Place has a visitor.”

His husband sighed and pulled back a few inches, turning his head towards Kreacher. “Who is it, Kreacher?” he asked in a resigned voice. “And can I get away with hexing them?”

Harry snorted at the added mutter. It was probably better that their elf hadn’t heard that. Kreacher was _very_ dedicated to the House of Black.

Dark eyes looked up at them blankly. “Mistress Ascella and Master Antares have come to visit, Master Orion.”

Harry blinked rapidly, frowning at Kreacher’s words. Elle was still supposed to be on her honeymoon. She and Ant had gone away two and a half months ago, travelling across the world to a variety of locations that he, Orion, Alphard and Gideon had decided on. They'd arranged everything, starting with the first mystery Portkey. After two weeks in each location, the hotels had been instructed to hand over the next Portkey, allowing the young couple to visit all manner of countries without even knowing where they were going. It was something Harry had done for all his children after they’d gotten married.

However, Elle was supposed to be in Australia at the moment. She still had another location to go to, hence he was more than a little worried about why she was back early. His daughter wasn’t one to turn away the opportunity to go exploring across the world. Clearly, his husband was of the same mind.

Orion turned to face Kreacher fully, a worried set to his face. “Is my daughter well, Kreacher?”

“Mistress Ascella seems good, Master Orion. Kreacher thinks Mistress is happy,” the elf dutifully replied.

“I see.” His husband still looked pensive but was clearly determined to get to the bottom of this manner. “Take Elle and Ant to the parlour and please set the table for tea for four, Kreacher.”

“Yes, Master Orion.”

Harry slipped off the counter and headed upstairs with Orion in silence. Both of them were clearly too concerned to voice any of their thoughts, not wanting to get worked up before they got any answers. Harry quickly changed to some casual black trousers and a simple green pullover, watching Orion dress similarly except in pewter.

The couple made their way downstairs to the parlour together, minds racing. Harry took comfort from the warm hand on his back, letting it ground him in reality. He didn’t want to let his thoughts spiral downwards when he didn’t know anything was definitively wrong. That wouldn’t help anyone.

He walked through the door, only to nearly be bowled over by his daughter attacking him with a flying hug. Harry stumbled back a couple of steps into Orion’s chest as he caught Elle, smiling bemusedly at her loud giggles in his ear. _I guess that puts paid to the idea of there being something wrong._

“Papa! Dad! I missed you!”

“We missed you too, Elle.”

The young woman stepped back and beamed at them, silver eyes sparkling with happiness as she bounced on her heels. Elle had gotten a slight tan on her travels, and her hair was currently free from restraint, the ends of her wild curls floating about her thighs. She was wearing a white sundress that fell to her knees, and Harry felt warmed at the sight of his daughter looking so free and vibrant.

Ant peeked out from behind Elle with a grin and a small wave. “Uncle Orion, Uncle Harry, you’re looking well! I’m loving the hair, Uncle Harry.”

“Thank you,” Harry replied dryly. _Of course, Alphard’s son never calms down._

They all sat around the table, and Harry noticed that Elle’s leg was jumping in place, a clear tic she usually got when she was nervous. He also knew if she didn’t get to the heart of the matter soon, she’d be even worse.

Harry eyed the couple neutrally. “So, why are you back early?”

“Yes, is there something wrong?” Orion asked with a slight frown.

Their daughter flushed red, but the beaming smile on her face was a relieving sight. The frozen smile and wary look on Ant’s face were unfortunately _not_ reassuring, neither was the fact that he’d paled rapidly.

 _Oh, Merlin, don’t tell me_ …

His beloved _only_ daughter, the _youngest_ of his five children, the sole child that looked like Harry, looked at he and Orion with a bright grin on her face, an aura of childish glee about her, and opened her mouth to give Harry a heart attack.

“I’m pregnant!”

Harry vaguely heard Orion take in a sharp breath, but all he could concentrate on was the fact that his precious little girl was a young girl no more. She might have been married before now, but Harry had been able to hold onto his parental denial with the knowledge that Elle wasn’t a mother.

_Can't bury my head in the sand any longer._

Harry pasted a wide smile on his face – which wasn’t _entirely_ faked; he was happy for Elle, he was just being an overly-sentimental father – and looked at his daughter. “Congratulations, Elle! Have you seen a Healer at all? Well, a decent Healer? How far along are you?”

The blonde laughed at his concern. “I saw a Healer in Japan, Papa. They have a respectable reputation, but of course I want you to look me over as well. As for how long, I’m two and a half months along. Isn’t that amazing?”

Harry stilled in his seat, his smile feeling more and more plastic as time went by. The dark aura he could feel around Orion wasn’t helping Harry to refrain from murder. Which he _wanted_ to carry out, because Ant was a _dead man walking_.

It was the thirty-first of August. His beloved Elle’s birthday had been last week, but they’s agreed to do something bigger once she came home from the honeymoon. As Elle had argued, getting to travel all over the globe was something that could be considered a joint gift for both the wedding _and_ her birthday. Harry and Orion had somewhat agreed, even if they’d gone on to arrange for presents to be delivered to Elle on her birthday.

The point was, it had only been two and a half months since Elle’s wedding. And it had only been a week since their only daughter’s birthday. Clearly, Elle had gotten pregnant on her wedding night. Not after her birthday.

Her _eighteenth birthday._

Harry turned to Ant with a bright smile, trying not to smirk at the young man’s panicked look and how he tried to simultaneously put some distance between them and stay frozen in his chair as if that would make Harry forget about him. He didn’t know what sort of look he had in his eyes, but going from Elle’s reproaching comments in the background, it wasn’t anything nice. _What a shame._

“So, _Antares_ ,” he said slowly, relishing the flinch he got in return. “Who on earth told you that you could get my daughter pregnant at the age of _seventeen_?”

The brat’s only response was to pale even more, looking as if he didn’t even have blood any more. Harry's smile took on a sharp edge, and he opened his mouth to say something more, but as he did, he noticed the little shit sway slightly in his seat. Harry watched in amazement as Ant leaned sideways, his eyes rolling upwards as he passed out, collapsing on the floor in an undignified heap.

_Well, that wasn’t quite the panicked grovelling I was expecting._

Orion snorted disparagingly. “That was certainly pathetic.”

“Hmm, and here I was hoping to wind him up a little more,” Harry agreed.

Elle huffed and crossed her arms. “Did you have to scare him so much, Papa?”

Harry waved her off. “I was only asking your husband a question, Princess.” He shot his daughter a pointed look. “Besides, I don’t see you helping him up.”

Indeed, his lovely daughter was casually reclining in her chair while drinking her tea, looking for all the world like she was entirely content, and not sat next to the unconscious form of her terrified husband.

Elle shrugged elegantly. “Ant knew that you were going to have a problem with it. It's not _my_ responsibility to help him after he failed to adequately prepare. Besides, he’s a _Black_. He knows that he should be able to deal with his problems himself.”

Harry laughed at his daughter’s words, grinning at Orion’s accompanying chuckles. He wasn’t entirely happy with the situation of Elle’s pregnancy, but he _had_ laid it on thick for the sole purpose of scaring his son-in-law. Harry knew how independent Elle was, and he was well aware that she wouldn’t be pregnant unless she wanted to be. Ant would have been castrated before he could have finished the word ‘children’ otherwise.

He was extraordinarily proud of his vicious daughter.

The green-eyed man sat back and watched his husband and daughter discuss her pregnancy, imagining all the possible ways things could go. Whether she would have a single child or more, what they’d look like, girl or boy, possible names … She was happy.

Harry could see that in the way that Elle’s eyes lit up as she chatted about her future child, how her hand would subconsciously stray to touch her lower abdomen, a bewildered yet ecstatic expression flitting across her face. His daughter’s magic was happy and content, her posture was relaxed, and the look she got whenever she looked at her husband was nothing short of breath-taking.

When he’d first ended up in nineteen-sixty-six, Harry had wanted to help Orion, and by extension, Sirius and Regulus. That's all. He hadn’t been angling for anything more, he’d simply wanted the three Blacks to have a life that they’d never experienced in Harry’s time.

Over time, the three had shifted from strangers to _his_. Orion had become the man he loved and eventually his husband, and Sirius and Regulus had become Siri and Reg, his very first children. His life had changed drastically, but the biggest difference had been the creation of a family. Harry had gained a family that he truly cherished, and that loved him in return. He'd been happy with that.

Going on to have Ri and Al had been amazing in so many ways, having the new experience of children of his own blood. His little twins hadn’t been any more adored than Siri or Reg, they’d simply added another dimension to their family. Another beautiful layer to something Harry already treasured.

Elle had completed them without ever suggesting that they’d been lacking before. The same as the twins; new, but not valued more than those who’d existed before her. A little daughter instead of sons, hence a whole ton of new experiences that had made parenting so hilariously interesting to Harry and Orion. A baby girl to give their family some new dynamics, including some beautiful moments from the four brothers who’d never had a sister before.

Harry had had five children, and four of them had already gone on to give him several grandchildren. His family had grown and grown, each individual member maturing and making Harry love them even more as they themselves added more layers to their loving family. His sons had long since become true adults, even if he would always remember them as adorable cherubs who used to follow him around like little ducklings, obedient and cute in every way possible.

Things had now come full circle, he mused as he looked at his youngest child. Harry’s daughter was finally embarking on the journey of parenting herself. She was a grown woman, a wife to someone she truly loved, and in less than a year, she would be a mother to her own baby. He wouldn’t deny it was bittersweet to see, but it was a breath-taking thing to witness.

He was so proud of her, of _all_ of his children, and he always would be.

The time traveller watched with a soft smile as Ant started waking up, Elle rolling her eyes and berating him before turning back to Orion so they could carry on planning her delayed birthday party. His husband made some scathing comment about their sons and their behaviour, smirking when Elle laughed loudly and Ant chuckled tentatively.

He leaned into Orion’s side and closed his eyes, simply enjoying the happy atmosphere.

Harry felt blessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end!
> 
> I originally planned for this epilogue to be about 3000-4000 words, but I just kept writing and writing. Hopefully it wasn't too much rambling.
> 
> A quick side note: did you know that the star Ascella is pointed towards the star Antares? A fun little fact that I thought made their relationship have a quirky little symmetry. 
> 
> The story of Orion and Harry's stupidly sweet relationship is over. I hope you guys enjoyed it. As I said at the start of this story, the following chapter is a few quick descriptions of Orion and Harry's family. I hope they give you a a little more insight into everyone's adult lives.
> 
> See ya!


	11. Family info

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own 'Harry Potter'
> 
> This is only Orion and Harry's family, because I accidentally created too many characters, and I'd like to retain SOME of my sanity.

**The adults:**

Orion Arcturus Black

  * 6’4”
  * Black curls to an inch past his shoulders, usually tied up
  * Light silver eyes
  * Assists his father, Lord Arcturus Black, with work on the Wizengamot, and often acts as proxy for the House of Peverell



Harry James Peverell-Black

  * 5’5”
  * Long, messy black hair, usually tied back
  * Bright green eyes
  * Is Lord Peverell, is a qualified Healer, and also runs a Potions business with the House of Potter – _C & M Potions_ (corpus et mente [body and mind])



Sirius Orion Black

  * 5’9”
  * Black curls to his shoulders
  * Light silver eyes
  * Owns an economics/business newspaper called _Business Today_ with his wife



Marlene Diane Black nee McKinnon

  * 5’4”
  * Golden curls to her waist, sometimes in a bun
  * Sky blue eyes
  * Owns _Business Today_ with Sirius



Regulus Arcturus Black

  * 6’0”
  * Short black curls
  * Light silver eyes
  * Publishes his own research/books on ancient magical practices in the UK



Alistair Fleamont Black nee Potter

  * 6’1”
  * Short, messy black hair
  * Blue-green eyes
  * Works as a supplier at _C & M_



Rigel Harry Peverell

  * 6’3”
  * Long, messy black hair, usually tied back
  * Bright green eyes
  * Owns a pharmaceutical company in the non-magical world, adapting magical treatments for muggles – _Rinak Pharma_



William Arthur Peverell nee Weasley

  * 6’2”
  * Long, deep red hair in a ponytail
  * Bright blue eyes
  * Works as a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts



Alnitak James Peverell

  * 6’3”
  * Long, messy black hair, usually tied back
  * Bright green eyes
  * Owns _Rinak Pharma_ with Rigel



Amalthea Elladora Peverell nee Tonks

  * 5’6”
  * Usually has chocolate curls to her waist (Metamorphmagus)*
  * Usually has light silver eyes
  * Is a stay-at-home mother, but is studying to become a lawyer



Ascella Lilium Black

  * 5’5”
  * Long, wild platinum blonde curls to her hips, usually worn in a plait
  * Light silver eyes
  * Goes on to become a Healer



Antares Gideon Black

  * 5’11”
  * Short black curls
  * Light silver eyes
  * Goes on to run various hotels for the House of Black



* * *

**The children:**

  * Eridanus Sirius Black – short black curls; light silver eyes
  * Perseus Orion Black – short black curls; sky blue eyes
  * Aquila Regulus Black – long black curls; light silver eyes
  * Corvus Alistair Black – short black curls; light silver eyes
  * Vega Melania Black – long black curls to her hips; blue-green eyes
  * Hadrian Arcturus Peverell – messy black hair; bright blue eyes
  * Leontios Arthur Peverell – straight black hair; bright green eyes
  * Anastasia Calanthia Peverell – deep red curls; light silver eyes
  * Eulalia Amarantha Peverell – straight, deep red hair; bright green eyes
  * Hector Harry Peverell – messy black hair; bright green eyes (Metamorphmagus)*
  * Myles Edward Peverell – dark brown curls; bright green eyes (Metamorphmagus)*
  * Adrasteia Andromeda Peverell – messy black hair; bright green eyes (Metamorphmagus)*
  * Altair Antares Black – black curls; light silver eyes
  * Alya Ascella Black – strawberry blonde curls; bright green eyes



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Metamorphmagi, these descriptions are their preferred, or most common.
> 
> In case you've forgotten, I've got loads of family trees for this fic on my deviantart account. My username is anime-otaku20, and if you head over there, you'll see many different people and relationships that I didn't get to mention in this fic. I might have gone overboard lol
> 
> Enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I hope everyone liked my foray into mindless fluff, it was a lot of fun to write. I know some of the couple might have seemed a bit odd, but that's the point of fanfiction, isn't it? Besides, I have no regrets. More or less.
> 
> In case you've forgotten, I've got several family trees for this fic on my deviantart (anime-otaku20). I also uploaded a picture of the wedding dress, and I tried to create a moodboard of sorts for the wedding. Trying to find pictures that went with what I was imagining was a pain, let me tell you.
> 
> I didn't include a list of descriptions for everyone, simply because I literally would have been stuck for days. I accidentally imagined too many people lol
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope it was a fun read. If not, there's not much I can do. Sorry!
> 
> I should probably get back to my other fics before my readers come after me with internet pitchforks.
> 
> See ya later!


End file.
